Father Christmas brings down 'evil reindeer gang' as he leads police drugs bust
Police carrying out a major drugs bust in Peru had special help from "Santa Claus" to bring down a network of dealers.
The Peruvian National Police released a video showing an officer wearing a Father Christmas costume while using a sledgehammer to gain entry to a building in the capital of Lima. The officers from Green Squad, the police's urban intelligence tactical division, arrested two men, aged 25 and 32, for the supply of cocaine and cannabis.
Green Squad chief Walter Palomino said the officer donned the santa disguise so they wouldn't arouse suspicion in Huacal, a neighbourhood in Lima. In a press release, the force branded the dealers the "Evil Reindeer Gang". In the clip, "Santa" was seen among other officers during a pre-raid briefing before another shot showed him running through the street on his way to the drug den.
He wore a red and white jumpsuit, with removable white hair and a beard. The officer was also there when one of the men was arrested, with a further clip showing the suspect on the floor with his hands behind his back.
Peruvian police often use costumes to disguise officers during drug raids so they have the element of surprise to take down the dealers. In 2020, a similar raid saw officers dress up as Santa and his elves to dismantle another narcotics network, reports the Independent.
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The officer was seen running through the streets in Santa garb before the bust (Peruvian National Police)In a major criminal operation in the South American country, Peru's National Police wore the disguises so not to arouse suspicion, before raiding a house in the Surquillo neighbourhood of the capital Lima on Saturday.
The officers, complete with Father Christmas, Mrs Claus and elves then filmed themselves barging into the home.
Speaking about the December 2022 raid, police official David Villanueva told Peruvian TV: "It being Christmas, a Santa in the street does not attract much attention, and we used this to our advantage for this operation."
He added the suspects, three men and a woman, initially thought it was a joke.
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