Santa Claus seems to be working through that ‘naughty list’ at an alarming rate, with the help of law enforcement.

Earlier this week, a carjacking in California was foiled with the help of two police officers dressed as Santa and his elf.

This undercover combo seems to be a favourite among law enforcement agencies over the festive season because it reemerged in Peru in a recent drug raid.

This time, Saint Nick was armed with a sledgehammer.

Via The New York Post, the duo jumped out of an undercover van, before crashing through the door of a suspected drug den.

“We are the police! We are the green squad! This is an anti-drug operation!” one of the agents was captured on video yelling at the hapless suspect in the Villa El Salvador district of Lima.

Watch one of the ‘merriest’ drug raids of the year:

A police spokesman says that the suspect had been captured on camera selling drugs outside his home near a school.

During the raid, police recovered a bag with hundreds of small bags that appeared to contain drugs, a handgun 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 in ketes (small packages of drugs), a firearm has also been seized,” said Col. Fredy Velasquez, chief of the Grupo Terna narcotics squad.

Peruvian police often disguise officers during raids to “maintain the element of surprise”.

I reckon bursting through the door was enough to cover the ‘surprise’ part, but it’s nice to insert a bit of festive cheer into proceedings.

[source:nypost]