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Cockfighting and Related Crimes


	Cockfighting brings misery for both animals and humans in the community. © The HSUS

Last updated Sept. 28, 2009

Cockfighting goes hand in hand with other crimes. Media reports provide accounts of the various criminal activities associated with cockfighting. States with weak cockfighting laws attract cockfighters, who bring with them all kinds of social ills, including:

Homicide
Narcotics
Exposing children to violence
Illegal gambling
Public corruption
Illegal immigration

The following is a sample of recently reported crimes linked to cockfighting.

Homicide

April 2009: While arresting a suspected murderer, officers from the Monroe County, Ga., Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force and the West Point Police Department uncover a suspected dog-fighting ring. Along with a stash of firearms, officers find 13 badly scarred pit bulls and dogfighting equipment. (Athens Banner Herald, 04/30/09)
March 2009: During a raid on a Calif. cockfighting operation, Fresno County Sherrif Deputy Chris Curtice told media, "In years past, we have [had] a lot of other crimes associated with cockfights. We've had several murders, shootings, assaults, drug issues, weapons charges. A variety of things come as a result of these cockfights. That's why our department takes it so seriously." (Fresno Bee, 03/07/09)
January 2009: Local media reported that a spectator at an illegal cockfight in Cebu City in the Philippines was gunned down, reportedly in a drive-by shooting by a man on a motorcycle. (Cebu Daily News, 01/09/09)
April 2008: Five men were reportedly hospitalized in serious condition after being stabbed at a cockfight in Valenzuela City in the Philippines, apparently after an argument over gambling. (GMANews.TV, 04/08/08)
March 2007: One man was shot to death and another was arrested in an early morning gunfight in Makaha, Hawaii, during what appeared to be a botched robbery of a cockfighting operation. (The Honolulu Advertiser, 03/25/07)
January 2007: A Filipino mayor and his deputy were reportedly gunned down, and seven others were injured at a cockfight in San Jose City in the Philippines. (Agence France-Presse, 01/16/07)
September 2006: An argument over the outcome of an illegal cockfight in Fort Bend County, Texas, allegedly erupted into gunfire, leaving one man dead and another seriously wounded. (Dallas Morning News, 9/3/06)
August 2006: A San Diego, Calif., man surrendered to authorities allegedly in connection with the murder of a fellow cockfight spectator in Good Hope. (The Press-Enterprise, 4/18/06)
May 2006: Two men were shot dead at an illegal cockfight in rural Texas. The two murdered men were regulars at cockfights on the farm where they were found dead, according to authorities. (The Monitor, 5/3/06)
February 2006: A 24-year-old Sacramento, Calif., man died from gunshot wounds he allegedly received in a dispute over an illegal rooster fight. (The Sacramento Bee, 2/20/06)

Narcotics


	Those arrested for cockfighting are often charged with narcotics-related offenses. © The HSUS

Sept. 2009: An investigation into a cockfighting ring unearths a criminal enterprise in Pierce County, Wash., involving cockfighting, illegal gambling, a marijuana grow operation and meth lab. Stolen cars and automatic weapons also were seized on the property. (KOMO News, 9/19/09)
Sept. 2009: During a raid of a Tulare, Calif. drug-trafficking operation allegedly tied to the Mexican drug cartel, authorities find cockfighting implements, in addition to $1.1 million in drugs and over $30K in cash. (Visalia Times-Delta, 9/16/09)
March 2009: Indianapolis police arrest three men who allegedly were raising cockfighting roosters, seizing 50 birds and animal-fighting equipment, along with cocaine and marijuana. (Indianapolis Star, 3/25/09)
February 2009: Sheriff's deputies from Darlington County, SC, responding to a call about an alleged dogfighting operation, seized ten pit bulls, several firearms and about $5,000 in crack cocaine, marijuana and cash. (Morning News Reporter, 2/27/09)
January 2009: While busting an alleged international cockfighting operation in Nipomo, Calif., investigators reported finding cocaine, marijuana and a pound of methamphetamine. (Associated Press, 1/29/09)
January 2009: Federal authorities shut down an alleged massive cockfighting outfit in Cumberland County, Tenn., and determined that those involved also were allegedly part of a Mexican drug trafficking cartel. (CBS-5 News Nashville, 1/1/09)
December 2008: An investigation into a possible narcotics operation in Laurens County, S.C., turned up $70,000 worth of narcotics, illegal weapons and roosters thought to be used for fighting, as well as one man who was thought to be in the country illegally. (WYFF-Greenville, 12/5/08)
November 2008: California state drug enforcement officers found an alleged cockfighting ring and 80 roosters during a marijuana bust at a home near Chico in Tehama County. (Chico Enterprise Record, 11/2/08)
July 2008: Marshall County, Ala., sheriff's deputies arrested 21 people in a raid of an alleged cockfighting operation, noting that there were indications of concurrent narcotics and prostitution running. (WAAY-TV, 7/7/08)
May 2008: A man in Fond du Lac, Wisc., who reportedly ran a cockfighting ring for gambling purposes faced life in prison for charges of manufacturing and distributing narcotics. (Fond du Lac Reporter, 5/7/08)
April 2008: Investigators in Wash. state uncovered an alleged cockfighting operation at a property that had earlier been busted, reportedly as a Mexico-based methamphetamine operation identified as one of the biggest drug rings in the state. (KOMOradio.com, 4/11/08)
March 2008: A massive cockfighting bust in the Pacific Northwest resulted in the arrests of more than 50 people on charges of conspiracy, operating an illegal gambling business, multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act, interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise and various drug trafficking crimes (Associated Press, 3/17/08).
March 2008: Members of the California Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team served a search warrant at a home in East Bakersfield, Calif., where they reportedly found methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a sawed-off rifle and 45 fighting roosters. (KGET-TV, 3/7/08)
October 2007: Local and state police serving a search warrant near Siletz in Lincoln County, Ore., reportedly seized suspected methamphetamine, dried marijuana, drug paraphernalia, more than $4,300 in cash, firearms, false identification and material believed to be related to the possession and training of fighting birds used in cockfighting. (Newport News Times, 10/03/07)

Exposing Children to Violence


	Cockfighting criminals typically expose young children to their brutal activities. © The HSUS

September 2009: Cook County sheriffs arrested three people and seized nine alleged fighting dogs, one missing an eye and another with its lower extremities nearly ripped off its body, in a Maywood house in which a child day-care facility was operating. (Chicago Tribune, 11/24/09)
August 2009: Daytona Beach Police arrest a man on charges of child neglect and animal cruelty after serving a warrant for dogfighting. Nine emaciated dogs, allegedly being trained for fighting, were seized from the household, which was in deplorable condition. (WDBO Local News, 8/5/09)
May 2009: Federal documents describe a 13-year-old boy, who put two roosters on the ground in Swansea last July to determine if one had any fight left in it. When it didn’t, it was “killed by hitting it against a tree,” at a cockfighting event attended by at least 60 people, including the boy’s father, documents say. (The State, 6/13/09)
April 2009: Authorities in Pike County, Miss., arrest 16 people, including 2 juveniles, during a bust of a cockfight in progress. (Associated Press, 3/31/09)
March 2009: While busting a cockfight in Ellis County, Tex., sheriff’s deputies observed "a lot of children, about 20 juveniles ranging in age from 5 to 12." (KDFW-Dallas, 03/23/09)
March 2009: Forty-nine people, including two juveniles, were charged in a cockfighting raid in Westmoreland, Tenn. Sumner County Sheriff's officials said children, including an 8-month old baby, were among the spectators. (The Tennessean, 03/11/09)
July 2008: Sheriff's deputies reportedly found 350 participants "including men, women and children of all ages," at a cockfighting event in Marshall County, Ala. Deputies arrested 35 people, with more arrests reported to be pending on cockfighting, drug, gambling and animal cruelty charges. (WAAY-TV, 07/07/08)
October 2007: Three children playing near a cockfight in the Philippines were killed after a man reportedly hurled a grenade at a group of people during an argument over the results of an earlier cockfight match. (www.newKerala.com, 10/21/07)
April 2007: During what the St. Lucie County, Fla. sheriff deemed one of the largest cockfighting busts ever in the area, 100 roosters were confiscated and 30 arrests were made. Of the 30 arrestees, five were juveniles. (WPBF-TV, 04/09/07)
March 2007: State police in La. swooped down on an alleged cockfighting gambling operation in which children were in attendance and cited five men for contributing to the delinquency of juveniles (Shreveport Times, 03/31/07).
January 2007: Officers investigating an alleged cockfighting ring in Los Angeles reportedly recovered a large quantity of narcotics, several stolen weapons and a cache of ammunition stored in a child's bedroom (LAPD official blog, 01/18/07).
February 2006: A raid on an alleged cockfighting event in Marlboro County, S.C., resulted in 22 arrests, eight of whom were children, on cockfighting charges (Myrtle Beach Sun News, 02/6/06).

Illegal Gambling


	At larger venues, arenas with stadium seating provide a venue for gambling. © The HSUS

January 2009: In what officers speculate to be part of a multi-state operation, New Mexico's Department of Public Safety announce the arrest of a Valencia County man on charges involving narcotics, extreme animal cruelty and gambling after finding dead and dying roosters, guns, narcotics and gambling ledgers while serving a search warrant at the residence. (Albuquerque Journal, 01/09/09)
January 2009: Sheriffs deputies from Martin and Midland Counties in Texas arrest 83 people in what Martin County Sheriff John Woodward called “the biggest drug and organized crime ring ever in the history of Martin County.” Deputies seized 105 fighting roosters, marijuana,cocaine and about $90,000 in suspected betting cash among the 83 that were arrested. (Odessa American, 01/31/09)
March 2008: Sheriff's deputies in Navarro County, Texas, charged nearly 200 people with gambling after they broke up a massive cockfight in progress at a 30-acre property in Corsicana. Later, 196 people pleaded guilty to the gambling charges. (Associated Press, 03/17/08)
March 2008: Police arrested 10 people at an alleged cockfight in Honaunau, Hawaii, where they found 40 live and 4 dead birds, along with 4 firearms, drugs and cockfighting paraphernalia. Charges filed included gambling, cruelty to animals, possession of dangerous drugs and possession of a firearm without a permit. (Honolulu Advertiser, 03/04/08)
December 2007: The Otero County Sheriff's Department in N.M. raided an alleged large-scale cockfighting operation, confiscating 144 roosters, more than $22,000 in cash, cockfighting paraphernalia and ledgers that were believed to show evidence of gambling. (Las Cruces Sun-News, 12/24/07)
March 2007: After an almost year-long investigation, state police shut down what they deemed the largest cockfighting gambling operation in north La., booking the owner on charges of illegal gambling, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, racketeering and money laundering. (Shreveport Times, 03/31/07)
February 2007: A raid of an alleged cockfighting operation in Medina County, Ohio led to charges against the property owner of running a cockfighting operation and operating a gambling house. (Beacon Journal, 02/19/07)
January 2007: The operators of the Del Rio cockfighting pit in Tenn. pleaded guilty to charges of felony gambling and sponsoring or exhibiting animals in an animal fighting venture. (Associated Press, 01/23/07)
July 2006: A man who held illegal cockfights on his Montgomery County, Ky., farm, where police seized nearly $430,000, was convicted of conspiracy to promote gambling in a plea deal. He had originally been charged with running a criminal syndicate, a Class B felony. (Lexington Herald Leader, 07/28/06)

Public Corruption


	Public officials have been indicted for their part in cockfighting crimes. © The HSUS

August 2009: Memphis police officers arrest a deputy sheriff at his home in Memphis, Tenn. on dogfighting charges. Fourteen injured and/or emaciated dogs were recovered, in addition to dogfighting implements and blood-stained carpeting. (WREG-News 3)
December 2008: Soldiers arrested the deputy police chief of the Mexican resort town of Zihuatanejo and six other officers who were allegedly protecting drug cartel members at a cockfight, according to the Mexican Defense Department. (The Straits Times, 12/26/08)
March 2008: Two of four Virginia men indicted in Page County, Va., in an alleged cockfighting operation on 8 felony charges—including alleged sponsorship of a cockfighting venture, operation of an illegal gambling business, bribery of a public official and money laundering—accepted a plea bargain to lesser charges. (The Roanoke Times, 03/28/08)
February 2007: After the release of video from an undercover investigation into the Sally Gap cockfighting pit in Whitley County, Ky., Sheriff Lawrence Hodge told the media that his department knew about the pit's existence but did nothing to apply the state's anti-cockfighting law. (Lexington Herald-Leader, 02/10/07)
April 2006: Three Honolulu police officers were charged in federal court in a scheme to protect an illegal cockfighting and gambling operation in Waialua. Two of the three later pleaded guilty. (The Honolulu Advertiser, 04/21/06)
June 2005: The FBI indicted and convicted members of the Cocke County Sheriff's Department in Tenn. on various public corruption charges. The investigation became public when the FBI raided a major cockfighting pit in that county that was being protected by the sheriff's department. (Knoxville News-Sentinel, 06/11/06)
May 2005: The mayor of Blue Ridge, Ga., was arrested and charged with misdemeanor gambling after being caught on videotape in the middle of a cockfighting ring. Ga. Bureau of Investigation undercover agents said it marked the third time the mayor had been charged for gambling at cockfights. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 05/06/05)
July 2004: S.C. Secretary of Agriculture Charles Sharpe was indicted for taking $10,000 in bribe money from cockfighters and then working to influence the Aiken County sheriff to let them continue with their illegal operation. Sharpe was convicted and sentenced to prison. (The State, 07/30/04)

Illegal Immigration


	Many of those arrested at cockfights are in the country illegally. © The HSUS

September 2009: At least one of 15 suspects arrested during a raid on an operation run by a Mexican drug cartel in Tulare County, Calif., is an illegal immigrant. During the raid, officers found drugs buried beneath a chicken coop as well as a collectionof cockfighting weapons attached to roosters during cockfights. (Visalia Times-Delta, 09/16/09)
February 2009: Martin County, Texas, sheriff's deputies reportedly made 84 arrests at a cockfighting match in progress, with participants originating from Mexico and New Mexico. Of those arrested, 11 were suspected illegal immigrants. (Odessa American, 02/02/09)
January 2009: Police in Phoenix arrested six illegal immigrants while investigating a string of robberies and kidnappings at a business where they found weapons, wads of cash and 31 suspected fighting roosters. (Phoenix New Times, 01/26/09)
December 2008: An investigation into a possible narcotics operation in Laurens County, S.C., turned up $70,000 worth of narcotics, illegal weapons and roosters thought to be used for cockfighting, as well as one man thought to be in the country illegally. (WYFF Greenville, 12/05/08)
May 2008: Narcotics investigators in Jefferson County, Texas, arrested several illegal immigrants as suspects in a narcotics and cockfighting operation. (KBMT-12, 05/30/08)
June 2007: After seizing 350 birds from a suspected cockfighting ring, Pima County, Ariz., sheriff's deputies arrested the property's caretaker, believed to be an illegal immigrant, on suspicion of identity theft and false reporting to law enforcement. (Tucson Citizen, 06/22/07)
March 2007: A raid by local, state and federal agents of a large suspected cockfighting event in Montgomery County, Texas, resulted in the arrests of close to 40 suspected undocumented immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. (KTRK-TV, 03/12/07)
January 2007: A raid on a cockfight in Mecklenburg County, Va., led to the arrest of 145 people. Twenty three of these were taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for being in the country illegally. Seven were suspected gang members affiliated with MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia. (Associated Press, 01/22/07)
January 2007: A federal jury convicted four men on cockfighting charges stemming from a July 2006 raid on a cockfighting pit in Carnegie, Okla., in which officers arrested and deported 15 illegal immigrants. (Associated Press, 01/29/07)

Related Links

Cockfighting

Cockfighting Fact Sheet

State Cockfighting Laws

Ranking of State Cockfighting Laws

Sample Letter to the Editor about Cockfighting