WASHINGTON, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action today commended the swift and decisive actions of the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office in dismantling an illegal cockfighting operation in southeastern New Mexico that drew more than 100 participants. New Mexico was the 49th state to ban cockfighting, only outlawing staged knife fights between birds in 2007, with the late Governor Bill Richardson strongly advocate for the prohibition.
According to local reporting, deputies acted on a tip and discovered a large gathering tied to an active cockfighting ring, detaining multiple individuals and identifying key suspects, including a local business owner allegedly connected to the operation. In one photo of the site, you can see the property gate reads “Anaya Trinity Ranch,” located in Roswell.
“This was a major organized animal fighting derby, operating in violation of state and federal law,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “We commend the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office for intervening and disrupting what appears to be a large-scale criminal enterprise built on extreme animal cruelty.”
Cockfighting is a felony under federal law and in all 50 states. Birds used in these fights are typically bred for aggression and outfitted with knives or gaffs, leading to prolonged and gruesome combat. Such events are frequently associated with illegal gambling, narcotics activity, and other forms of organized crime.
“Animal fighting derbies are organized crime operations, clustering a slew of crimes in one location,” Pacelle added. “When law enforcement dismantles these operations and arrests perpetrators, it makes our communities safer by apprehending people contributing to a local crime wave.”
“Operations like this don’t happen in isolation,” Pacelle added. “They are part of a broader underground network that profits from violence and lawbreaking. Strong enforcement actions like this send a clear message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
Animal Wellness Action also emphasized the importance of public tips in exposing illegal animal fighting ventures and urged anyone with information about similar activities to report it to local law enforcement or to Animal Wellness Action’s tip line at tips@animalwellnessaction.org.
Animal Wellness Action and partner organizations continue to urge Congress to advance the FIGHT Act and ACE Act and close enforcement gaps that allow organized animal fighting operations to persist.
The FIGHT Act, S. 1454, is led in the Senate by U.S. Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., and in the House, H.R. 3946, by U.S. Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Andrea Salinas, D-Ore. That bill has been endorsed by the New Mexico Sheriffs’ Association. U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., is a co-sponsor of the FIGHT Act. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan cosponsored the legislation in 2024 but have not yet cosponsored the same bill in the 119th Congress.