A pair of drug dealers in Peru got the shock of their lives when their operation was busted by police officers dressed in Santa costumes.

Cops in the South American country often like to have a bit of fun with their drugs raids, helping to draw public attention to their hard work.

In the latest example, they decided the best way to sneak into a dangerous neighbourhood north of Lima was to pose as Jolly Saint Nick.

The ambitious strategy was a success, allowing them to nab a small ring which had been given a suitably festive nickname by law enforcement.

With a dramatic rhetorical flourish, head of the National Police Green Squadron Colonel Walter Palomino told reporters: ‘The strategy was successful.

‘Christmas came to the Evil Reindeer.’

One of the two men captured was given the alias ‘The Grinch’ when presented to the press – a name appropriate for someone whose business demonstrated a singular lack of Christmas spirit.

During yesterday’s raid, Santa was armed not with a hessian sack or a gentle smile, but with a sledgehammer, which he used to batter down the dealers’ door.

He and his little helpers managed to seize hundreds of packets of marijuana and cocaine paste from the address in Huaral, around 45 miles north of the Peruvian capital.

A full run-down of street value or weight was not immediately available.

The cops may have been tempted to give the costumes another shot following the success of a very similar operation in Lima last year, during which Father Christmas, Mrs Claus and a group of elves smashed their way into a dealer’s base.

They successfully seized 6,000 packets of cocaine paste, 104 packets of cocaine powder and 279 packs of marijuana.

On Halloween this year, police officers in Lima conducted a drugs bust while dressed as horror film characters Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Tiffany, the Bride of Chucky – again using a time of year when disguises are commonplace to their advantage.

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Craig Munro

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