Carlos Rafael Lezcano, 52 years old, was arrested this Monday in southwest Miami-Dade after FBI agents uncovered an alleged cockfighting operation of unusual scale on a 10-acre property, according to WSVN.
The initial recording took place on Saturday afternoon in the 12300 block of SW 51st Street, when the FBI was inspecting the property as part of a separate investigation and found what appeared to be a site dedicated to cockfighting.
Federal agents immediately contacted the Vice and Intelligence Squad of the Organized Crime Office of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Department (MDSO).
A judge approved a specific search warrant that same night for the animal cruelty investigation.
The next day, shortly before eight in the morning, detectives returned to the property along with Miami-Dade Animal Services to carry it out.
What they found exceeded any previous case in the area: a detective who examined the property reported seeing “several thousand fighting cocks and numerous enclosed training rings.”
Among the seized items are used fighting spurs, rooster stirrers, boxing gloves, a large training ring, syringes, medications, and vitamins.
The arrest of Lezcano
While the investigators were scanning an area with approximately 100 roosters housed individually, two individuals breached the secured perimeter.
According to the MDSO arrest report, “the detective identified himself as a law enforcement officer and repeatedly ordered the two to stop, but they fled, jumped over a fence, and escaped south of the property.”
Lezcano, whose nationality of origin has not been disclosed, was found shortly after walking in a nearby nursery, on the block of 12400 SW 56th Street, and was arrested without incident.
The researchers also found a ledger with his name at the farm.
He was transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bail set at $10,500.
He faces four charges: animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill, tampering with physical evidence, possession and training of animals for fighting, and resisting authority without violence.
An unprecedented stop in Miami-Dade
The current finding represents a qualitative leap compared to previous operations in the southwest of the county.
In April 2026, two men were arrested after between 500 and 600 caged roosters were discovered at another property in the area.
In May 2025, the MDSO dismantled a network in Redland with 42 arrests, 72 roosters seized, and nearly $40,000 in cash.
The "several thousand" birds in the current case pale in comparison to those figures.
What does the law say?: state and federal penalties
Cockfighting is a third-degree felony in Florida under the Statute 828.122, with penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
At the federal level, the Animal Welfare Act increases the penalties: participating in animal fights can lead to up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; even attending as a spectator can result in up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The Miami-Dade sheriff, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, had already warned after the operation in May 2025: "This type of cruelty and illegal activity has no place in our community. Animal fights are not only inhumane but often accompany other serious crimes."
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