A woman and 14 men were arrested on Saturday, July 27, during a raid in Granville County, North Carolina, where authorities discovered clandestine cockfighting.
In the operation, weapons, 46 vehicles, $14,000 in cash, and 174 birds, among other properties, were seized, according to the channel Univisión. Several Cubans were identified among those arrested by local authorities.
The tranquility of the residents of Granville County was disrupted when Sheriff Robert Fountain announced that on a lot on Lawrence Road, dozens of people had paid $50 to participate in cockfighting, an illegal activity in the state.
The authorities received a tip on the previous Friday detailing the event, allowing an undercover officer to confirm the information before the raid, which began at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
When the agents arrived, many of the attendees tried to flee, leaving behind belongings and vehicles at the site. Among those detained was Sharon Kay Miller, the only woman in the group. Along with José García, they were both accused of participating in and betting on the cockfights.
Other detainees include Juan Pérez Hernández, Roberto Soria Castañeda, Noé Jaimes Antúnez, Khanh Lee, Héctor Martínez Paredes, Pedro López, Miguel Ángel Pérez Vázquez, Ricardo Jiménez García, Gregorio Sánchez, Raphael Hernández, Arturo García, Manuel R. Regalado, and Alexis Ramírez Pérez.
According to Fountain, four of the arrested individuals have arrest warrants from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and a fifth faces an arrest warrant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The 174 roosters that were seized are now under the care of animal welfare organizations. The sheriff described the scene of the event as "horrible," pointing out the consumption of alcohol and marijuana. Additionally, they found weapons in some vehicles and other odd items, such as a skull in the grill of an abandoned truck.
The Granville County Sheriff's Department is seeking the owners of the 46 seized vehicles, some of which are used for family transportation and businesses. Among the vehicles are trucks and cars of various brands, including a Lexus and several trucks with license plates from other states such as Virginia.
The raid also left several merchants without their work vehicles, complicating their situation as they must justify their presence at an illegal event to recover their belongings. The owners will face additional charges for their involvement in the cockfights.
On the ground, investigators found cages where the roosters were kept before each fight. The complete details of the investigation have not yet been revealed to avoid compromising the process, but authorities continue to work to identify all those involved and stated that they will ensure that they face the corresponding legal consequences.
Cockfights in the United States: An illegal business with a high presence of Cubans
In late March, the Miami-Dade police arrested five men of Cuban origin linked to an underground cockfighting ring in Kendall while executing a search warrant.
Agents from the Intelligence and Anti-Vice Squad went to a property located at 6701 Southwest 122nd Avenue alerted by the discovery made by an officer from the Illegal Dumping Unit, according to the arrest report cited by local media.
The search warrant revealed the presence of numerous fighting roosters in cages scattered throughout the property, training rings, and fighting paraphernalia.
The suspects were identified as Epifanio Puentes Suárez, 71 years old; Carlos Bienvenido Cruz, 75; Omar Ucio Izquierdo, 67; Maykel Barroso Montero, 47; and Alejandro Montero Morales, 35.
The five suspects were arrested and faced several charges for felonies and misdemeanors including animal cruelty and illegal animal fighting, according to the police report.
In February, a Cuban from Hialeah was arrested for training roosters for illegal fights in his auto parts store.
In October 2023, the Cuban Andrés Laguardia, arrested in Miami for participating in cockfighting, claimed that he was a fan but traveled to Cuba to engage in this activity, as it is legal on the island.
He also stated that he does not consider himself an animal abuser, and that he intended to sue the authorities for having sacrificed more than 40 specimens in his own home while he was detained in the patrol car.
"If at any point I was guilty of something, let a judge decide. I like it, I am a fan, but I go to Cuba and I fight there because it is legal," he explained.
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