A policeman dressed as Santa Claus carried out a drug bust near capital Lima. The now-viral video of the operation, carried out on Saturday, has been released by the Peruvian National Police after which it appeared on several social media platforms. It shows the cop in full fancy dress using a sledgehammer to break down the door to a building. The undercover operation led to the arrest of two men selling forms of cocaine and marijuana in the house in Huaral, some 70 kilometres north of the Peruvian capital.
According to Independent, the operation was carried out by the urban intelligence tactical division, known as the Green Squad. Its chief Walter Palomino said the disguise was used so as to not arouse suspicion.
The force dubbed the alleged drug dealers the "Evil Reindeer Gang", as per the outlet.
The video shows an officer dressed as Santa joining other cops for a briefing ahead of the raid and then running through the street before zeroing in on the house.
The cop's jumpsuit had a removable head with flowing white hair and a beard. He lost the mask while pounding heavily on the metal door of the building about five times before entering it.
His colleagues are seen climbing up the ladder to the second floor to prevent the drug dealers from escaping.
The "Santa" was also present for the arrest of one of the men, who was shown in the footage lying on the ground with his hands behind his back.
Hundreds of packets of cocaine paste and marijuana has been seized, the police said, but did not announce the specific value of the drugs.
News agency AFP reported that one of those captured was presented before mediapersons under an alias "The Grinch", after a fictional character created by US children's author Dr Seuss.
For years, police in the South American nation - one of the world's biggest cocaine producers - have been using disguises during anti-drug operations launched on special dates.
On October 31, police used the occasion of Halloween to dress up as horror characters and arrested two alleged members of the Balboa clan, a drug gang.
Last year before Christmas, police in Lima dressed as Santa and his elves conducted a similar operation, arresting four suspects and seizing 6,000 packets of cocaine paste.
