National Animal Advocacy Organization Praises Investigators for Acting Against Illegal Animal Fighting Operation
EDINBURG, TEXAS – Animal Wellness Action today commended the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety for uncovering and dismantling an alleged cockfighting operation near Monte Alto and for the arrest of the property’s owner, 41-year-old Arnulfo Arizmendi.
According to law enforcement reports, the investigation began when a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter observed a suspicious gathering of vehicles and individuals near Nittler Road and Jesus Flores Road. Deputies responding to the scene discovered evidence consistent with an active cockfighting operation, including numerous roosters, blood-stained fighting enclosures, cockfighting blades, a dead rooster, and a concession area allegedly selling alcohol and refreshments to spectators.
Authorities have charged Arizmendi with cockfighting, a state jail felony under Texas law.
“This enforcement action demonstrates the vigilance and professionalism of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “Cockfighting is a criminal enterprise built on animal cruelty, illegal gambling, and often other associated crimes. We applaud law enforcement officers for intervening and protecting animals from this brutality.”
Court records indicate that witnesses told investigators attendees were charged admission to watch rooster fights at the warehouse. In the warehouse, sheriff’s deputies found several roosters, “fresh blood in a metal cage, a concession stand set up for sale of alcoholic beverages and snacks, and cockfighting blades, used on roosters for cockfighting,” according to the criminal complaint.
Animal Wellness Action noted that organized cockfighting operations involve specially bred birds fitted with knives or gaffs designed to inflict severe injuries. Birds frequently suffer prolonged pain, traumatic wounds, and death during these events.
“This interdiction sends a message to all animal fighters that you will be held accountable for these crimes of violence,” Pacelle added.
Animal Wellness Action is calling for continued aggressive enforcement and passage of federal legislation to dismantle cockfighting networks permanently. At the federal level, the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 3946 and S. 1454, would strengthen penalties for animal fighting, enhance federal enforcement tools, and target the organized criminal enterprises behind these operations. The bill is supported by both the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas and the National Sheriffs’ Association, along with more than 450 other law enforcement agencies and a total of nearly 1,100 endorsing agencies and organizations.
Animal Wellness Action also encourages anyone with information about illegal cockfighting operations to report suspicious activities to local law enforcement authorities or to tips@animalwellnessaction.org.