174 birds seized in cockfighting raid in rural NC. What will happen to them?

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

174 birds seized in cockfighting raid in rural NC. What will happen to them?

The fate of the roosters rescued from a weekend ********** ******** unclear, but due to ******** concerns, they may be euthanized, authorities said.

The raid happened Saturday at a rural property in Granville County, not far from Wake Forest. It resulted in 15 arrests, with five people still being held for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Cockfighting is against state and federal law, and the Granville County Sheriff’s Office seized 174 live roosters in the bust.

“We didn’t even count how many were *****. There was so many of them,” Detective Jon-Ta Pulley said.

Many of the birds had razor blades attached to their legs for the fights.

“It was inhumane,” Sheriff Robert Fountain said. “They had a doctor there that was injecting the birds with adrenaline and sewing them up so they could go to the next ******.”

Pulley said all the birds were turned over to Animal Control, which may euthanize them.

Workers at the animal shelter said they could not discuss the case and referred comment to the county, whose spokesperson said he would look into it.

The News & Observer has contacted state experts for more information about bird flu and other concerns.

The timeline

Here is a timeline of the investigation, based on a Wednesday news conference and follow-up conversations with Pulley, the lead investigator, and Fountain.

These events begin Friday, July 26.

Friday afternoon

Around 1 p.m., an unnamed citizen called the Sheriff’s Office to tip them off to an upcoming **********.

The Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation and requested backup from:

Early Saturday morning

The Sheriff’s Office began surveilling the property, 1009 Lawrence Road.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

default

11 a.m. Saturday

The fights were scheduled to begin. A $50,000 grand prize was advertised.

An undercover deputy paid $50 to the landowner at the gate. She had his car searched, and he was allowed inside.

The deputy witnessed fighting and gambling, all while remaining in “constant communication” with the assembled law enforcement.

“That gave us the probable cause,” Fountain said.

2:05 p.m. Saturday

A search warrant — which has yet to be released to the public — was ********* and deputies swarmed the property.

People fled into the surrounding woods, according to video footage captured by a Highway Patrol helicopter.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

The interior of a trailer obtained from the scene of a July 27th bust of a cockfighting operation is photographed at the Granville County Law Enforcement Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Oxford, N.C.

The Sheriff’s Office charged 15 people and seized a “large amount of property,” including 46 vehicles and at least seven trailers containing cages.

Animal Control, using nets, rescued 174 birds. Dozens more were found ***** and some likely escaped, Pulley said.

“There were people going in these trailers and just unlatching the things to let the birds out because they didn’t want them caught, so Animal Control had to deal with a bunch of roosters that were just running at large,” Pulley said.

Five guns were seized, including an AK-47 with markings linked to a ******** ***** cartel, Fountain said.

Also seized was $23,000 in cash, although the person collecting the bets avoided capture and has yet to be identified.

The days since

The Sheriff’s Office is still working to identify dozens who escaped into the woods.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Easley, a federal prosecutor, has since taken an interest in the case.

Fountain said there may be links to other cockfighting operations along the East Coast.

The charges

All 15 were charged with cockfighting and gambling:

One was the property owner, who was the only Granville County resident captured.

The other 14 were attending the event from neighboring states and other countries.

ICE detainers: Four ******** citizens and one Cuban citizen are being detained for deportation.

Cockfighting is a Class I felony, the lowest possible, which could result in up to a year in prison.

Gambling is a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine and a maximum of 60 days in jail.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

Granville County Sheriff Robert Fountain, photographed prior to a press conference held at the Granville County Law Enforcement Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Oxford, N.C., prepares to speak about the July 27th bust of a cockfighting operation.

Animal ******** concerns

Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, advocacy nonprofits, believe

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

have ties to Mexico and Guam.

“The bust in Granville County exposed a ********* network of cockfighters, and that includes operators of a massive gamecock farm in Wilkes County, perhaps the biggest in North Carolina,” Wayne Pacelle, president of both organizations, said in a news release.

He was referencing Los Panchos Gamecock Farm, an operation on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains that had a trailer seized by the Sheriff’s Office.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#birds #seized #cockfighting #raid #rural #happen

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

For verified travel tips and real support, visit: https://hopzone.eu/