Law enforcement’s decisive action in Hesperia and elsewhere sets model for eradicating animal fighting nationwide
HESPERIA, Calif. — Animal Wellness Action today commended the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for its decisive and tenacious series of actions to dismantling illegal cockfighting networks, with yet one more interdiction of illegal animal fighting this past weekend. The enforcement action in Hesperia, which led to 26 arrests and the seizure of dozens of live and dead roosters, demonstrates the critical role of strong, coordinated law enforcement in eradicating the barbaric practice of animal fighting from the United States.
“This bust and the other recent busts send a signal that the sheriff has a zero-tolerance policy for animal cruelty and illegal bloodsports in San Bernardino County,” said Wayne Pacelle, president for Animal Wellness Action. “The Sheriff’s Department’s Rural Crimes Task Force has shown exactly the kind of proactive, aggressive enforcement needed to stamp out cockfighting and all other forms of animal fighting in America.”
Deputies responding to an “unknown problem” at a business on Darwin Avenue discovered an active cockfight in progress. Working with the department’s Rural Crimes Task Force, investigators quickly secured a search warrant, uncovering a full fighting pit, 56 live roosters, 24 dead birds, cockfighting weapons (“gaffs”), five firearms, scorecards, and $28,000 in cash. The operation drew suspects from five Southern California counties, underscoring the organized, interstate nature of animal fighting networks.
In August the San Bernardino Sherrif’s Office arrested 56 people and seized 3,500 birds, as well as firearms and drug paraphernalia, after a multi-week investigation. Authorities also seized more than $259,000 in cash and recovered 12 firearms — including three “ghost guns.” They also seized 12 ounces of cocaine, 11.5 ounces of methamphetamine, and 6 grams of fentanyl with a street value of about $11,000, authorities said.
Hesperia Animal Control assisted in the care and removal of the surviving roosters.
Cockfighting is a federal felony under the Animal Welfare Act, which prohibits staging, attending, or possessing birds for fighting, as well as transporting or shipping fighting animals or cockfighting implements across state or national borders.
“The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s work should serve as a model for every law enforcement agency in the nation,” Pacelle added. “Only through this kind of determination—pursuing every lead, arresting every offender, and rescuing every abused animal—can we finally end the cruelty and criminality of cockfighting in the United States.”
However, Pacelle said the organization believes California’s penalties for cockfighting crimes aren’t enough to deter ongoing illegal operations. Felony-level penalties are needed for cockfighting, and the state should impose limits on possession of roosters, delivering a statewide policy that San Bernardino and 20 other counties already have in place.
In support of enhanced enforcement, Animal Wellness Action continues to advocate for the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 3946 / S. 1454, which would strengthen federal tools to crack down on animal fighting — including banning simulcast gambling on fights, outlawing shipment of mature roosters by mail, and enhancing forfeiture provisions. The measure has now earned endorsements from hundreds of law enforcement and animal protection organizations nationwide.
“Seasoned prosecutors and sheriffs recognize that animal fighting is not only barbaric cruelty, but an organized criminal enterprise bound up with gambling, weapons, and intimidation,” said Pacelle. “We applaud eleven members of California congressional delegation for cosponsoring the FIGHT Act and encourage all remaining lawmakers to follow their lead.”
The cosponsors from California are Nanette Barragan, Ken Calvert, Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, Josh Harder, Laura Friedman, Scott Peters, Salud Carbajal, Kevin Mullin, David Valadao, and Jared Huffman.