WASHINGTON, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action applauds the Nash County Sheriff’s Office and Nash County Animal Control for their decisive action that culminated in the removal of more than 650 roosters and the arrest of individuals allegedly involved in a large-scale cockfighting operation in Middlesex, N.C.
Deputies responding to a warrant on January 20 discovered hundreds of roosters believed to be bred, housed, and mutilated for use in illegal cockfights, along with evidence of neglect and cruelty toward other animals. Following a joint investigation, two men were arrested on charges including cockfighting and multiple counts of felony animal cruelty. Marcos Aguilar Autrey Sr., 41, and Ascencion Yanez-Castro, 60, are both charged with one count of cockfighting and 20 counts of felony animal cruelty.
“Nash County law enforcement has busted one of North Carolina’s biggest cockfighting complexes,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “In taking down this criminal syndicate, law enforcement has not only prevented cruelty but made the community safer and less vulnerable to crime. Cockfighting is bound up with illegal gambling, tax evasion, narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms, and other illicit activities.”
Cockfighting is a felony in every U.S. state, reflecting widespread recognition that forcing birds to fight — always with sharp spurs attached to their legs — is inherently cruel and unacceptable. Animal Wellness Action continues to urge law enforcement agencies nationwide to prioritize enforcement of anti-animal-fighting statutes and to work with prosecutors to ensure that perpetrators face meaningful consequences.
Animal Wellness Action offers its full support to the Nash County Sheriff’s Office and partner agencies as they continue their investigation and encourages citizens to remain vigilant and report suspected animal fighting activity to local authorities or to Animal Wellness Action at tips@animalwellnessaction.org.
Animal Wellness Action is calling for continued aggressive enforcement and passage of federal legislation to dismantle cockfighting networks permanently. At the federal level, the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 3946 and S. 1454, would strengthen penalties for animal fighting, enhance federal enforcement tools, and target the organized criminal enterprises behind these operations. The bill is supported by the National Sheriffs’ Association, along with more than 450 other law enforcement agencies and a total of nearly 1,100 endorsing agencies and organizations. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., is a cosponsor in the House of that legislation.
The Alamance County District Attorney’s Office, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Carteret County Sheriff’s Office, Craven County Sheriff’s Office, Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, Randolph County District Attorney’s Office, Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, Swain County Sheriff’s Office, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office are just some of the in-state endorsers of the FIGHT Act.
In 2020, Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy released an investigation into widespread illegal cockfighting in North Carolina. Animal Wellness Action has noted that North Carolina needs an upgrade, making it a crime to possess fighting birds. N.C. law already bans possession of dogs for fighting.
Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Virginia, and other southern states ban possession of all fighting animals. The federal Animal Welfare Act also bans possession of fighting animals and treats that crime as a felony offense.