Peruvian police have gone viral after using an elaborate disguise operation to raid a suspected drug trafficking hub in Lima, with one officer posing as a wheelchair-bound patient and others dressed as schoolchildren to approach the property undetected.
The operation, carried out by the Grupo Terna unit of the Peruvian National Police, took place in the 1st of June human settlement in the San Juan de Miraflores district of Lima on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 .
According to authorities, the disguises were chosen deliberately because the target property was located near both a school and a hospital, allowing the officers to blend in with the usual foot traffic of students and patients in the area .
Colonel Pedro Rojas Tipto, head of the Green Squadron, explained the tactic: “Our mimicry strategy, posing as schoolchildren, as well as a patient in a wheelchair, allowed us to enter the property without being detected” .
The most dramatic moment of the raid was captured on video. An officer who had been sitting in a wheelchair, wrapped in a blanket, suddenly received a signal from a colleague who shouted “Levántate, Lázaro” — “Rise, Lazarus” .
The officer stood up, pulled out a sledgehammer he had concealed under the blanket, and began smashing the metal gate of the property to allow the rest of the team inside . Meanwhile, the officers dressed as students used ladders to climb to the second floor of the building to block possible escape routes .
A drone from the Terna unit recorded the operation from the air .
The raid resulted in the arrest of three suspected members of a family-run drug trafficking organization known as “Los Santurrones de San Juan” .
The detainees were identified as José Chunga Cotrina, alias “Nero Cuco”; Jesús Chávez Polanco, alias “Burrito”; and Deysi Pérez Chunga, alias “Fefa” .
During the search, police seized 2,270 packets of cocaine paste, a crude form of cocaine, along with an additional 47 grams of the same substance . Authorities also reported that the property had surveillance cameras, reinforced gates and doors .
The operation began after an undercover officer made a controlled purchase of cocaine at the location, providing evidence of the alleged illegal activity and giving the green light for the raid .
This is not the first time Peruvian police have used elaborate disguises to catch suspects. The Grupo Terna unit has previously dressed officers as the Grinch, Freddy Krueger, Deadpool, Wolverine, Santa Claus, and even World Cup mascots to approach targets without raising suspicion .
In one earlier operation, two officers disguised as World Cup mascots Clutch and Maple arrested a suspected drug dealer who was caught up in football fever during the tournament .
The three detainees were taken to the Criminal Investigation Division of San Juan de Miraflores, where investigations continue to determine their individual roles in the trafficking network .
