Police in California have seized 7,000 roosters during a raid on a cockfighting ring in Santa Clara Valley.
More than 100 cops raided the 29000 block of Jackson Street where they found the animals who were being forced to fight to the death.
Hundreds of ‘slashers’ which are strapped on the birds’ feet while they fight, syringes filled with steroids, guns and other drugs were found at the scene.
It is the largest seizure of illegal cockfighting roosters in United States history.
via LA County Sheriff’s Department
via KTLA:
Some 7,000 birds that had been used illegally were seized, authorities said at a Tuesday news conference at the sheriff’s downtown L.A. headquarters. Guns and illegal drugs were also seized. The Sheriff’s Department estimated the value of the seizure as between $350,000 and $10.5 million, depending on the widely ranging value of each bird.
More than 100 sheriff’s personnel and county animal control were part of the “dangerous tactical operation” in the 29000 block of Jackson Street, authorities said.
Detectives who specialized in “animal bloodsport crimes” worked for a month to investigate the cockfighting ring, sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Perry said. He described the seizure of illegal cockfighting roosters as the largest in U.S. history.
The identity of the property owner, who has been labeled as the “primary suspect”, has not been released, and he is not yet in custody.
According to police, the haul of seized birds is worth anywhere between $350,000 and $10.5 million, depending on the individual price of each one.
