LIMA, Peru (AP) — Two Peruvian police officers disguised as World Cup mascots Clutch and Maple helped to arrest a suspected drug dealer in Lima.
Colonel Carlos Alcántara, head of the Green Squadron —a unit that combats common crime — said they captured Carlos Cabrera, 48, with the help of the two undercover agents on Thursday during the opening match of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa.
“Thanks to intelligence work, we realized that this person was a diehard football fan and was caught up in World Cup fever," Alcántara said. "Therefore, we decided to disguise personnel as World Cup mascots so we could approach him without raising suspicion and apprehend him.”
The officers as mascots used a metal sledgehammer to break down a door to enter with colleagues.
For the World Cup, Clutch is a bald eagle representing the United States, while Maple is a moose representing Canada. México is symbolized by a jaguar named Zayu.
Police said 2,524 packets of cocaine base and a gun were found during the operation. In Perú, the micro-trafficking of drugs is punishable by three to seven years in prison when a person is found with five to 50 grams of cocaine base.
In previous operations, Peruvian police have disguised themselves as other fictional movie characters such as the Grinch, Freddy Krueger, Deadpool and Wolverine and even Santa Claus to approach those they are going to arrest without arousing suspicion.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Mascots react ahead of the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Korea and Czechia in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Jayne Kamin-Oncea been an Associated Press freelance photographer in Los Angeles for the past 10 years. She began her photo career as an AP stringer in Miami in 1978 while at the University of Miami. She also spent 27 years working with the Los Angeles Times.
The US-Paraguay match Friday was the first match of the 2026 World Cup in the United States and you could feel the emotions throughout the stadium. Alex Freeman and the other US players say they were focused from the start. During any match, players regularly battle along the sidelines and I look for photos that show players appearing to balance on a tightrope near the edge of the out-of-bounds line as they’re trying to keep the ball in play. As I was shooting, I knew it was turning into a nice photo with intensity. The frame showing Freeman airborne above Antonio Sanabria's head and shoulders could also be viewed as an illustration of the US dominance over Paraguay.
I shot with Nikon Z9 and 400 2.8. The play was WAY downfield, so I hit the crop sensor button. A lot of photographers don’t like the light at SoFi but I love it because my camera set up loves it! I have my camera set on 30FPS with the pre-release at one-third of a second. I always shoot at a very high shutter speed to limit any motion blur. 4000th of a second and just adjust the ISO with the changing light.
The composition of the image stands out, especially how high Freeman jumps of Paraguay’s Sanabria and kicks his leg up high. From the time the moment the play started the photos actually got better in the final frames.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
United States' Alex Freeman, top, reaches for the ball over Paraguay's Antonio Sanabria during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
