[AFP]
[AFP]

Peruvian police arrested a suspected drug trafficker by disguising themselves as Maple and Clutch, the official mascots of the 2026 World Cup.

Peru's national police shared footage Friday on their official TikTok account showing two officers in mascot costumes apprehending the suspect.

In the video, the officers — dressed as Clutch, a bald eagle, and Maple, a moose — smashed through an iron door with a hammer and entered a house in Lima.

Inside, they found suspected drug trafficker Carlos Cabrera wearing a white sleeveless shirt. Officers seized bags of white powder and a firearm before arresting him.

[AFP]
[AFP]

Police timed the operation to coincide with the World Cup Group A opener between Mexico and South Africa.

Col. Carlos Alcantara of Peru's anti-crime unit Green Squad told The Associated Press that intelligence had confirmed the suspect was a passionate soccer fan fully caught up in World Cup fever. "We disguised our agents as World Cup mascots so we could approach and arrest him without raising suspicion," he said.

Peruvian police have previously carried out operations in disguise to avoid alerting targets, dressing as characters including the Grinch, Freddy Krueger, Deadpool, Wolverine and Santa Claus.

[AFP]
[AFP]

FIFA unveiled three mascots to represent the three co-host nations of the 2026 World Cup.

Maple is a moose representing Canada, Clutch is a bald eagle representing the United States, and Zayu is a jaguar representing Mexico.

FIFA describes Clutch as a leader who "inspires teammates, boosts morale and treats every challenge as an opportunity to rise higher." Maple is billed as "an artist who loves street fashion."

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