Not only is the Grinch stealing Christmas this year, he may also be busting drug gangs.
A Peruvian police officer dressed as Dr.’s infamous Christmas-hating grouch. Suess, took charge of the naughty list last week after leading a police operation in the capital Lima to dismantle an alleged drug gang.
National police footage shows the Grinch, dressed in Santa’s jacket, running down a street in San Bartolo, southern Lima, with a sledgehammer slung over his shoulder.
The Grinch slams his hammer on a door and, along with other members of law enforcement, raids a building belonging to a family of alleged drug dealers, one of whom shouts “cops!” shouts. before handcuffing a woman inside the building.
The identity of the officer dressed as the Grinch was not released.
The police and the Grinch discover what appears to be drugs. Video then shows the Grinch escorting two women into the back of a police car.
An officer, standing in front of the Grinch and his sledgehammer, says his group has “captured three drug dealers who are now in custody” after a cop “ingeniously managed to go unnoticed while disguised as the Grinch.”
Photos released by police also show the Grinch standing next to the suspect at a table covered in what appears to be cash and drugs collected at the scene.
Police have not released the identity of the suspect or the results of the case against the suspect.
The operation was part of the police unit’s ongoing tradition of dressing officers in festive costumes for operations during the holiday seasons, such as Halloween and Christmas.
On the eve of Valentine’s Day earlier this year, an undercover police officer in a teddy bear costume showed up at the home of an alleged drug dealer, delivering “a fake love surprise” as part of an operation in Lima.
Officers have also dressed up as superheroes and horror movie characters like Freddy Krueger and Jason.
With the Grinch leading the way, the Peruvian criminals now know who is in charge.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com