Law enforcement hit cockfight in Van Zandt — just the latest in a string of cockfighting busts occurring throughout the state
Van Zandt County, TX — After a recent bust in Van Zandt County, Texas, animal welfare groups applauded local law enforcement officials for their work to shut down a suspected cockfighting ring. It is just the latest bust in an epidemic of illegal animal fighting and related crimes afflicting the Lone Star State.
The operation resulted in the rescue of over 100 birds from deplorable conditions. The birds, primarily gamecocks, were discovered kept in cramped, filthy cages that lacked adequate shelter and care. Many exhibited signs of severe neglect, with injuries that suggested they were trained for fighting and not given proper medical attention. Several birds were already deceased, and the injuries of others were severe enough the birds had to be euthanized. The remainder are now in the care of the SCPA of Texas.
The operation also led to the arrest of several individuals, including David Lee Haynes and Rafael Orozco, who are now facing multiple charges related to animal cruelty and organized fighting activities.
“Cockfighting is barbarism, and it’s tied to other crimes degrading the safety of our communities,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “It is especially important to strengthen federal animal fighting laws to stop the endless trafficking of fighting animals across the southern border.”
In Texas, there has been a steady drumbeat of cockfighting interdictions, including ones in Galveston, where nearly 100 birds were seized in what appears to have been a large-scale cockfighting operation; in Potter County, where over 160 roosters were seized and according to the sheriff, “many” participants were “unlawfully in the United States; in San Jacinto Sheriff, where suspects were “expected to face multiple felony charges, ranging from animal cruelty, cockfighting, illegal gambling, unlawful weapon possession, organized crime, and federal firearm possession by illegal immigrants; in Cherokee, where two dozen arrested on similar charges, and in Lynn County, where the sheriff brought felony charges “because of organized criminal activity.”
There have been a series of interdictions at the border, including a law enforcement action where officers “made an unusual discovery, roosters deeply hidden within passenger vehicles,” according to press releases. Border Patrol and Customs seized this shipment of fighting implements from Mexico City and separately found cockfighting blades and other paraphernalia at the border in California.
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy are advocating for passage of the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 2742 and S. 1529, which have been endorsed by the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas and dozens of country sheriffs, including those on or near the border. Officials there say it is critical legislation that addresses a pervasive and deeply troubling issue: the rampant and barbaric practice of animal fighting, which is inextricably linked to a host of other serious crimes.
U.S.-based cockfighters are deeply involved in a massive trade with Mexican cartels that control many major cockfighting venues south of the border. This illicit activity is creating a separate border crisis centered around animal trafficking, posing serious threats to both Americans and Mexicans.
“I consider passing the FIGHT Act in Congress as urgent a priority as we have at Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy,” Pacelle said.
U.S. Representatives from Texas who are cosponsors of the bill are Jasmine Crockett, D-30; Lloyd Doggett, D-37; Lizzie Fletcher, D-7; Lance Gooden, R-5; and Troy Nehls, R-22. H.R. 2742 has 58 Democrats and 43 Republicans as cosponsors. Senators Cory Booker, D-N.J., and John Kennedy, R-La., are the lead authors of the Senate companion measure, S. 1529.
A fact sheet on the FIGHT Act can be found here.