Thirty-seven people and one juvenile were arrested for possessing illegal drugs, firearms, cash, stolen property, and 50 cockfighting roosters in west Texas. Of those arrested, some are suspected of being illegal aliens.
The adults and juvenile included individuals from New Mexico and Oklahoma, reported CBS 7.
The cockfighting site was in Midland County, Texas, and law enforcement officials made arrests this weekend.
Midland County Sheriff Gray Painter told the media what items were seized, including the 50 cocks used in fighting, and cash, firearms, and cocaine.
Neighbors were reported to have witnessed helicopters flying above as law enforcement agents made their arrests.
CBS 7 witnessed the fighting cocks being taken away in a van.
KXAN reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, all worked in conjunction with the Midland County Sheriff’s Office.
Breitbart Texas’ Ildefonso Ortiz reported in March 2015 that authorities raided a large cockfighting facility near the Texas border. Hundreds of roosters fought to their death while spectators gambled and cheered. The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office had received information about a major cockfighting ring at a ranch near the border city of Mission, Texas.
Ortiz reported that in 2012, a group of gunmen carrying machine guns stormed a cockfighting event at a Texas border ranch where at least 200 were in attendance. Eleven persons were shot and three of these died.
Cockfighting is a state jail felony in Texas. Anyone who causes a cock to fight with another cock, or participates in the earnings of a cockfight, can be sentenced to this felony.
It is a Class A misdemeanor to own or train a cock for fighting, or to manufacture or sell a gaff, slasher, or other sharp instrument designed for attachment to a cock with the intent that it be used during cockfighting.
It is a Class C misdemeanor to be a spectator at a cockfighting event.
Besides its immense cruelty to the animals who are used in this brutal sport where roosters fight to the death, cockfighting is associated with illegal drug activity and other crimes.
Moreover, the roosters used in these fights are frequently drugged in order to make them more aggressive and to keep them fighting even after they have sustained serious injuries.
Small children are also brought to these events where drugs and other illegal activity are engaged in.
Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2