A man is facing charges after an FBI raid on a property in Miami-Dade over the weekend uncovered a cockfighting operation with “several thousand” roosters, authorities said.
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Carlos Rafael Lezcano, 52, was arrested on charges including animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill tampering with physical evidence, possessing animals for fighting and resisting an officer without violence, an arrest report said.
According to the report, the FBI contacted the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on Saturday after the raid at the 10-acre property in the 12300 block of Southwest 51st Street.
Among the things found on the property were “several thousand game fowl roosters” and numerous enclosed cockfighting training rings along with rooster fighting paraphernalia including vitamins, syringes, medication, fighting spurs, boxing gloves and rooster agitators, the report said.
While searching a section of the property that contained around 100 individually housed roosters, a detective spotted two men who breached the secured perimeter of the property, the report said.
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Authorities yelled at them to stop but both men jumped a fence and fled on foot, the report said.
A short time later, one of the men, Lezcano, was found walking at a nearby nursery and taken into custody, the report said.
Among the items found at the cockfighting property was a ledger with Lezcano’s name on it, the report said.
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Lezcano was booked into jail. Attorney information wasn’t available.
Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed multiple roosters in cages at the property.