Pinoys involved in largest cockfighting bust in US

SAN DIEGO (AP) – Authorities made what they called the largest cockfighting bust in US history with the seizure of more than 5,000 roosters, hens and chicks from two training grounds that were managed and patronized largely by Filipinos, officials said.

Agents found 4,400 chickens Saturday at a 2.8-hectare compound in the Otay Mesa industrial area of San Diego. More than 2,500 birds were seized at the same place six years ago in what was believed to be the largest such bust in the US.

Hundreds more chickens were found this time at a second training ground nearby, officials said.

Other stings have resulted in more arrests but none have produced more birds, said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues at The Humane Society of the United States, which deployed its own staff on the raid along with local and federal law enforcement agents.

Fifty people were issued misdemeanor citations, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine, and ordered to answer to cockfighting charges in early December, said Paul Levikow, a spokesman for the San Diego County District Attorney’s office.

About 80 percent of the birds seized have been euthanized, Levikow said.

The cockfighting operation was managed and patronized largely by Filipinos, and fights were staged in the San Diego area, Levikow said.