Marion County sheriff’s deputies busted an illegal cockfighting operation in Summerfield on Sunday.
Deputies received information about illegal activity and responded to a farm at 12585 SW 16th Ave. When they arrived, they spotted several people running from a barn where the cockfighting ring was taking, a sheriff’s office report states.
Five men – 28-year-old Jose Emilio Farinas, 28-year-old Donny Ichel Puerto, 71-year-old Elio Delgado, 48-year-old Raul E. Martinez-Torres and 74-year-old Emiliano Avilez – were arrested after they were captured while attempting to flee the area. Deputies located approximately 60 roosters at the farm, some of which showed injuries from having been used for fighting. And several dead roosters were located in trash cans, along with some that were severely injured, the report says.
The Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST) responded and conducted a search warrant at the farm. They located a large quantity of marijuana (451 grams), cocaine (grams), $5,863 in cash, a firearm and high-capacity clips with live ammunition. They also found numerous items of drug paraphernalia, along with items associated with cockfighting, the report says.
The sheriff’s office’s agricultural deputy also responded, along with Marion County Animal Control, which took possession of the roosters, the report says.
All five of those arrested were charged with fighting or baiting animals, a third-degree felony, and placed into the Marion County Jail on $2,000 bond apiece.