POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Polk County man has been arrested on animal fighting charges after sheriff’s deputies, responding to an unrelated tip, discovered an illegal cockfighting operation. The incident has reignited calls for stronger federal legislation to combat animal fighting.
Deputies discovered multiple roosters with mutilated combs and wattles, a common practice in cockfighting, along with a fighting ring and scales for weighing birds.
A subsequent search warrant yielded more evidence, including metal spurs used in fights. Alex Galarza was arrested and charged with breeding and training birds for cockfighting, possession of birds for fighting, and operating a property for cockfighting.
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Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, praised the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for their “policing instincts” in shutting down the operation. “Animal fighting is organized crime linked to illegal weapons and gambling, money laundering and drug trafficking and undermines the safety of our communities,” Pacelle stated.
The discovery has bolstered support for the federal Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, which aims to strengthen enforcement against animal fighting. The proposed legislation would ban online gambling on animal fights, prohibit the shipment of mature roosters via the U.S. Postal Service, allow private citizens to take civil action against animal fighters, and enhance criminal forfeiture penalties.
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The Florida Sheriffs’ Association, along with numerous other law enforcement organizations nationwide, including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the National District Attorneys Association, has endorsed the FIGHT Act.
Pacelle emphasized the connection between cockfighting and other criminal activities, stating, “Cockfighting is a crime of violence, and it is bound up with other crimes, including border crimes like illegal trafficking of animals and narcotics.”
He added that the FIGHT Act would provide crucial tools to dismantle these criminal networks.
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