Carlos Rafael Lezcano, 52 years old, was arrested this Sunday in southwest Miami-Dade after FBI agents uncovered an alleged cockfighting operation of unusual magnitude on a 10-acre property, as reported by WSVN.
The initial registration took place on Saturday afternoon at the 12300 block of SW 51st Street, when the FBI was inspecting the property as part of a separate investigation and discovered what appeared to be a site dedicated to cockfighting.
Federal agents immediately contacted the Vice and Intelligence Squad of the Organized Crime Bureau of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office (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.
The magnitude of the finding was considerable: a detective who toured the property reported having seen several thousand fighting roosters and numerous enclosed training rings.
Among the seized items are used fighting spurs, rooster stimulators, boxing gloves, a large training ring, syringes, medications, and vitamins.
The arrest of Lezcano
While the investigators were surveying an area with approximately 100 roosters housed individually, two individuals breached the secured perimeter.
According to the arrest report from the MDSO, “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 southward on the property.”
Lezcano, whose nationality of origin has not been revealed, was found shortly after walking in a nearby nursery, on the block of SW 56th Street 12400, and was arrested without incident.
The investigators also found a logbook with his name at the estate.
He was transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with 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 arrest without violence.
A large-scale operation 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 finding between 500 and 600 caged roosters at another property in the area.
Earlier, 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 dwarf those figures.
What does the law say?: state and federal penalties
Cockfighting is classified as 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 also prohibits certain behaviors related to animal fighting, such as sponsoring them or exhibiting animals in such events, as well as owning, training, buying, selling, or transporting them for that purpose within the scope of federal legislation. These actions can result in up to five years in prison, while attending as a spectator may lead to up to one year. Additionally, fines may be imposed under federal law.
The Miami-Dade sheriff, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, had already warned after the operation in May 2025: "This kind of cruelty and illegal activity has no place in our community. Animal fights are not only inhumane, but they often accompany other serious crimes."
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