Hundreds of roosters were seized as part of a suspected illegal cockfighting ring in a rural Bay Area enclave that’s known as a hotbed of bird fighting.
Video posted by the Sonoma County Sheriff shows a massive and squalid facility in rural Santa Rosa where Saul Villalobos-Delacruz, a 30-year-old resident, allegedly ran a massive illegal cockfighting operation complete with “slashers, timers, betting slips and conditioning supplements.”
833 roosters were seized, according to authorities.
The Sonoma County Sheriff arrested Villalobos-Delacruz on suspicion of animal cruelty and bird fighting offenses and was later released under pre-trial supervision.
In 2024, authorities discovered at least 1,000 birds bred for fighting at another nearby property in the rural section of Santa Rosa, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
In 2018, sheriff’s deputies discovered what they called a “sophisticated illegal cockfighting” operation while investigating a fatal shooting near Petaluma, per CBS News.