A suspected cockfighting breeder in Bremen was raided by police Saturday night. At 8:00 p.m., officers from numerous local, state, and federal agencies served a search warrant at a farmhouse in the 6200 block of Plymouth-Goshen Trail.
Indiana State Police say a warrant was also served at a home in Bristol in Elkhart County at the same time. They say the two raids led to the discovery of more than 200 birds, as well as three arrests.
Juan Cristobal Gonzalez Moran, 40, was arrested in Bremen, while Victorino Rosales-Alcaraz, 48, and Dario Marin-Alvarez, 32, were arrested in Bristol. They face charges of possession of animals used for fighting, a Level 6 felony. They’re also being charged with possession of animal fighting paraphernalia with prior convictions, which is a misdemeanor offense.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are taking care of the birds.
Police had been investigating the two locations for weeks, after getting an anonymous tip that gamecocks were being raised. Indiana State Police Sgt. Trent Smith notes that while cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states, it remains a multi-billion-dollar industry worldwide.
