WASHINGTON, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action today commended the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office for its swift enforcement action on Sunday that led to the arrest of a Port Barre man on felony cockfighting and drug-related charges.
According to news reports, authorities arrested Mitchel Joseph Landry, 45, on charges including felony cockfighting, cultivation of marijuana, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana following an investigation by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case is yet another reminder that organized animal fighting is often intertwined with other criminal activity, including narcotics offenses, illegal gambling, weapons violations, money laundering, and violent crime.
“We applaud Sheriff Bobby Guidroz and his deputies for acting quickly to stop this illegal activity and hold those responsible to account,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “Sheriff Guidroz understands that cockfighting is cruel, but also it’s tied to broader lawlessness involving drugs, gambling, and other unlawful conduct.”
Animal Wellness Action noted that this is not the first cockfighting case uncovered in St. Landry Parish this year. Earlier enforcement actions in the parish resulted in numerous arrests and citations tied to alleged cockfighting activities. The recurring nature of these cases underscores the need for continued vigilance by local law enforcement and prosecutors.
“Just a few months ago, cockfighting advocates were pressing local officials in St. Landry Parish to weaken enforcement and create a safe haven for an activity that is illegal under both state and federal law,” Pacelle said. “These cockfighting criminals invited a law enforcement response by publicly reminding the community that they were persisting with their illegal activity and then pleading with parish lawmakers to give them a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
Louisiana U.S. Senator John Kennedy is leading the FIGHT Act, S. 1454, in Congress to enhance enforcement of the federal law against animal fighting. He has nearly 1,200 agencies and organizations backing the measure, including the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National District Attorneys Association, 40 state sheriffs’ and prosecutors’ associations, the American Gaming Association, the United Egg Producers, and a broad coalition of agricultural, law enforcement, animal welfare, and conservation organizations.
The FIGHT Act, which amends 7 U.S.C. 2156 of the Animal Welfare Act, will strengthen the law by: 1) prohibiting online gambling on dogfights or cockfighters, regardless of the location of the fighting venture, 2) banning the shipment of mature (chicken) roosters through the U.S. mail, 3) allowing private citizens to bring civil cases against dogfighters and cockfighters to protect their property rights and safety and win a court order to dismantle these organized crime rings, and 4) enabling criminal forfeiture of real property used in the commission of an animal fighting crime.
Federal law already prohibits the shipment of birds for fighting purposes and makes it illegal to sponsor, exhibit, buy, sell, transport, deliver, or receive animals for participation in an animal fighting venture. Louisiana law likewise prohibits cockfighting and related activities.
Animal Wellness Action encourages anyone with information regarding organized cockfighting activities to report it to local law enforcement authorities. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Tips@animalwellnessaction.org.