ROCKLAND KEY, Fla. – A man in the lower Florida Keys was arrested Monday after investigators found a suspected cockfighting operation on his property.
Luis Blanco Jr., 54, of Rockland Key, faces charges of owning property used for animal fighting and owning equipment used for animal fighting, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office announced.
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The sheriff’s office said detectives made the discovery at a home in the 500 block of Park Drive.
They “observed many caged roosters and chickens, a bloody fighting ring and a bait stick — a plush fake chicken head on a stick used to get roosters angry in the ring. Many of roosters were injured with their wattles and combs trimmed as is common when they are used for fighting.”
A full search uncovered 310 chickens and “a large assortment of items associated with fighting roosters such as spurs, scales, sewing needles, syringes, liquid drugs to treat infections, stop watches and bait sticks,” the sheriff’s office added.
Detectives say that the Florida Keys Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also participated in the investigation.