BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – It’s a bloody and illegal sport that often goes under the radar.
Since 2014, Deputy Chief Nancy Sandford said the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has only investigated a handful of cockfights.
“I believe it’s going on, and, we would like to find more of them,” said Sandford.
On Saturday, BCSO deputies raided a cockfighting event on a property in south Bexar County.
They found guns, drugs, and around 200 roosters -- some with injuries.
BCSO said deputies issued citations to 47 spectators.
“It was early, so there probably would have been more coming to the event, but we felt like we didn’t want any of the roosters to get harmed,” Sandford said. “And so we felt like we should go in there sooner than later.”
Sandford said an anonymous tipster gave them information about the event.
Wayne Pacelle, the president of animal rights group Animal Wellness Action, said there’s been an increase in busts across the country because more people are reporting cockfights.
“We can’t just leave it to the police,” Pacelle said. “We need the police and prosecutors, but we’re the eyes and ears that can sniff out illegal activities and report them.”
BCSO arrested the suspected organizer, Paul Morales, for cockfighting -- a felony.
Court records show Morales posted bond and has a hearing set for June.