Eight people facing charges in illegal cockfighting ring in CT

Eight people face charges in connection with an illegal cockfighting ring discovered in Waterbury earlier this year that led to the seizure of nearly 70 roosters, most of which had to be euthanized.

Officers responded to 36 Gasparri Lane just after 5:30 p.m. on March 2 after receiving the report of a “large amount of people inside” for an alleged illegal cockfighting event, Lt. Ryan Bessette of the Waterbury Police Department said in a statement.

Bessette said 69 roosters were seized and that 65 of them had to be euthanized by the Waterbury Police Department Animal Control Division with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. The other four died before they could be euthanized.

“We applaud Waterbury police for acting swiftly to break up an illegal cockfight,” Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, said in a statement this week. “Staged animal fighting is barbarism, with the handlers affixing sharp knives or curved icepicks to the legs of birds placed in a pit. Cockfighting is routinely commingled with related crimes of illegal gambling, narcotics trafficking, money laundering and human violence.”

Bessette said an investigation by police led to the arrest of eight people.

Jelin Mejia-Dejesus, 37, of Waterbury, Jamie Martinez, 79, of Wallingford and Massachusetts residents Juan Rewan, 54, and Juan Rosario, 45, face charges of conspiracy at animal cruelty, interfering with a search warrant and conspiracy at gambling, according to Bessette.

Four other Massachusetts residents, including Tyshali Aviles, 28, Daniel Lozado, 48, Nelson Cruz, 33, and Emmanuel Gutierrez-Torres, 29, face charges of conspiracy at cruelty to animals, interfering with police and conspiracy at gambling, Bessette said.

“Staged animal fighting is a national issue of crime and public health, as fighting animals smuggled into the United States threaten the commercial poultry industry,” Pacelle said.

“Ten of 15 outbreaks of virulent Newcastle Disease in the United States are directly tied to smuggled fighting roosters from Mexico, with just three outbreaks costing taxpayers $1 billion,” Pacelle added. “Moreover, public health officials are increasingly worried about a zoonotic ‘spillover’ of the disease from birds to other mammals, including humans, with potentially nightmarish consequences.”