Two arrests and removal of 136 birds underscore Florida law enforcement’s call for Congress to strengthen federal animal-fighting law through the FIGHT Act
LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Animal Wellness Action applauded the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for dismantling two suspected cockfighting operations over the weekend, arresting two men and removing 136 birds from properties in Buckingham and Lehigh Acres.
The enforcement actions come as Florida’s leading law-enforcement organizations are calling on Congress to provide stronger federal tools to combat organized animal fighting, with both the Florida Sheriffs’ Association and the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association endorsing the bipartisan Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act.
“This is exactly the kind of determined law-enforcement response that is needed to drive cockfighting out of Florida,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “We commend the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for recognizing these operations for what they are—organized criminal enterprises built around cruelty to animals. With 136 birds removed from just two properties in a single weekend, no one should pretend that cockfighting is a relic of Florida’s past. It is happening now, and law enforcement needs every tool available to dismantle these networks.”
According to reports, Lee County deputies discovered the first suspected operation Friday after responding to a mobile-home fire on Westwood Acres Road in Buckingham. While clearing the property, deputies reported finding multiple roosters, a fighting ring and other evidence associated with cockfighting. A subsequent search uncovered boxing gloves, B12 injections and injured roosters. Approximately 83 birds were removed, and property owner Raul Cartaya Ramos, 54, was arrested on an animal-cruelty charge involving the possession or use of animals for fighting.
In an unrelated case Sunday, deputies responded to a property on Nashville Avenue South in Lehigh Acres after a possible cockfighting operation was discovered. Authorities reported finding injured roosters kept in separate enclosures, a training area, sparring muffs, a dummy chicken and used syringes. Deputies removed another 53 birds and arrested Yelandis Rodriguez Hernandez, 40, on an animal-cruelty charge.
The two investigations resulted in the removal of 136 birds in a matter of days.
“These cases show why Florida’s sheriffs and prosecutors have been so outspoken in asking Congress for stronger federal laws,” Pacelle said. “Local deputies are confronting the cruelty firsthand, but animal-fighting networks do not necessarily stop at county or state lines. Congress should listen to the law-enforcement professionals who are dealing with these crimes and pass the FIGHT Act.”
Florida Law Enforcement Backs the FIGHT Act
The Florida Sheriffs’ Association, representing sheriffs throughout Florida’s 67 counties, has endorsed the FIGHT Act and urged Congress to strengthen federal enforcement against dogfighting and cockfighting. The Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, representing Florida’s 20 elected state attorneys and more than 2,000 assistant state attorneys serving all 67 counties, has also endorsed the measure.
The Florida endorsements are part of an extraordinary national law-enforcement consensus against organized animal fighting. The National Sheriffs’ Association and National District Attorneys Association have also backed stronger federal legislation targeting animal-fighting enterprises.
The current FIGHT Act, H.R. 3946/S. 1454, would strengthen the federal law against animal fighting by:
• cracking down on online gambling and simulcasting of animal fights;
• strengthening forfeiture provisions involving property used in animal-fighting crimes;
• restricting shipment of mature roosters through the U.S. Postal Service; and
• creating a citizen-suit provision to help stop animal-fighting operations when government enforcement falls short.
“Lee County deputies did their job, and they deserve the public’s thanks,” Pacelle added. “Now Congress needs to do its job. Florida’s sheriffs and prosecutors have told lawmakers that stronger federal tools are needed to attack these criminal networks. The arrests in Lee County are fresh evidence that their concerns are not theoretical.”
Animal Wellness Action has made combating dogfighting and cockfighting a national priority and works with law-enforcement agencies across the country to identify animal-fighting operations and strengthen state and federal enforcement. Both Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. Ashley Moody have endorsed the FIGHT Act, as have 18 members of Florida’s Congressional Delegation.