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California Cockfighting Operation Busted20 May 2003OAKLAND, California -- As reported by the Oakland Tribune: "Police following up on a burglar alarm in West Oakland discovered cages full of roosters and chickens bred for what could be a professional cockfighting operation hidden within a nondescript home near BART. "Rodney Grimes said the birds were found Saturday morning at a home in the 300 block of Center Street. They found pens holding more than 50 roosters and hens and young birds inside a shed in the rear yard. But the real shocker was what they saw -- or didn't see -- inside the house, Grimes said. "... underneath the main floor, police found a big fighting ring, leashes to keep the roosters from attacking each other, boxes to transport the birds, steroids to make the birds bigger and meaner, and lots of other fighting paraphernalia, Grimes said. "...The "sport" is illegal in California and all states except two, but its popularity frequently breeds an illicit underground network involving gambling. The house's neighborhood is wedged between the West Oakland BART station and Interstate 880. "...There is a large, black-topped lot on one side of the house where several workers from nearby industrial businesses played soccer during a break. A neighbor across the street said he never heard any cockfights, and the family who lives right next door said the same thing..." |