Sheriff’s Office breaks up cockfighting outfit

The Granville County Sheriff’s Office put a halt to a major cockfighting ring in southern Granville County on Saturday.

The sheriff’s office announced at a press conference Wednesday that 15 people have been arrested – including one with ties to Granville County — and some 20 to 30 others are being sought. Among those still being sought are four Mexican nationals and one Cuban national who are wanted on federal warrants, according to Sheriff Robert Fountain.

GCSO acted on intelligence gathered from credible sources to execute a search warrant on Lawrence Road near the intersection of Feedoo Road, according to a press release from the GCSO on social media.

Fountain said those being sought include people who ran as a North Carolina Highway Patrol helicopter was closing in on the site in southern Granville County where the search warrant was served.

According to reports from WRAL News, a deputy went undercover to obtain the information needed for a search warrant.

Upon executing the warrant, deputies found several hundred chickens, alive and dead, drugs and guns. Deputies worked through the night utilizing drones and heat mapping to search out anyone that may have escaped into the woods, according to WRAL News.

Fountain said Monday that 174 birds were taken in by authorities.

An animal welfare advocate has praised the response of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office in this case.

“We applaud the Granville County Sheriff’s Office for busting an illegal animal fighting ring in its jurisdiction,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, which is leading a national campaign against staged animal fighting. “The tentacles of cockfighting rings like this one not only reach all across North Carolina but also across the globe.”

According to a press release from Pacelle, “Fountain confirmed razor blades were attached to the birds’ legs, the hallmark of cockfighting, and noted that he had never seen anything of this magnitude, as cockfighters were injecting birds with adrenaline and throwing them back into the battle when they were near death.”

The search warrants were executed with the assistance of NC ALE, Vance County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Granville County 911, NC Highway Patrol, Granville County Animal Control, and Durham County Animal Control.

This is an ongoing investigation and the Granville County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone having any information in reference to this investigation to contact the GCSO.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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