BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. — We are learning more about a major raid on a cockfighting ring in Blount County. The operation, described as significant by Homeland Security, resulted in the arrest of 60 individuals, 55 of whom are illegal aliens and are set for deportation. The raid, which took place over the weekend, was the culmination of months of surveillance that uncovered evidence of gambling, drugs, tax evasion and firearms.
Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations for Alabama and Georgia, said the operation involved six special response SWAT teams and two helicopters. More arrests are expected.
Cockfighting is illegal across the U.S., but estimates are millions of birds are bred and trained to fight. At the Blount County raid there were over 250 birds according to Schrank. Officials did not disclose the specific location. “We’re talking about slow, brutal deaths,” Schrank said of the cockfights.
Authorities seized $140,000 during the raid and are investigating links to transnational criminal organizations, including narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and human smuggling.
Wayne Pacelle, President of Animal Wellness Action, labeled Alabama as the “cockfighting capital of the Southeast.” He criticized the state’s outdated laws, noting, “It’s the weakest law in the nation, with a maximum penalty of a $50 fine. That’s like a parking ticket.” Pacelle’s organization is advocating for the FIGHT Act in Congress, which is supported by 800 agencies, including the National Sheriff’s Association. It would also strengthen rules against dog fighting.
Pacelle warned of the ties between cockfighting and drug cartels, emphasizing the need for increased enforcement to ensure community safety. “This is archaic, barbaric. It’s inhumane and it is outside mainstream Alabama,” he said. “They attach knives or curved ice picks to the birds legs and they slash each other to death.”
He also highlighted the threat to the commercial poultry industry from diseased birds transported from Mexico, which have been linked to the spread of avian diseases like bird flu and Newcastle disease. “This has cost taxpayers a billion of dollars; millions of birds were depopulated to control the spread of disease,” Pacelle said.
The proposed FIGHT Act aims to ban simulcasting and gambling on animal fights in the U.S., halt shipments of mature roosters, and enhance forfeiture provisions to include real property.
