saint Nick-ed Peruvian drug dealers get a surprise visit from Santa and his little helper

Peruvian drug dealers got a surprise when ‘Santa Claus’ and an ‘elf’ knocked on their door before breaking it down with a hammer.

The Christmas figures turned out to be drug squad agents, who had flak jackets hidden underneath their red, white and green outfits.

They had arrived in an undercover van on Sunday before breaking into the house with a large hammer to apprehend their suspect.

In footage filmed by police of the raid, an officer can be heard yelling: ‘We are the police, we are the green squad, this is an anti-drug operation,’ as he pinned the suspect to the ground and handcuffed him in the Villa El Salvador district of Lima.

Using operatives in dress-up is a common tactic of Peruvian police to assure the element of surprise which, they say, has brought some notable successes in recent years.

They have been known to dress up as homeless people and street sweepers in the past.

A police spokesman said the arrested man had been videotaped selling drugs outside his home near a school.

At the house, police found a bag with hundreds of small bags that appeared to contain drugs, a revolver and a balaclava, he said.

"With the results we are seeing, a significant amount of drugs has been confiscated, both marijuana and basic cocaine paste and a firearm has also been seized," said Colonel Fredy Velasquez, head of the Grupo Terna drugs squad.

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