Man arrested after large cockfighting operation found at Hialeah business – NBC 6 South Florida

A man was arrested after a large cockfighting operation was uncovered at his Hialeah business, police said.

Juan Romero, 58, was arrested Thursday on a charge of breeding, training, owning or possessing animals for fighting, an arrest report said.

According to the report, officers were conducting a fraud investigation in the 4600 block of E. 10th Lane when they stumbled across a large number of cages housing male chickens.

Some had the feathers to their legs plucked, which is indicative of cockfighting, the report said.

Investigators continued searching the area and found more chickens in cages and found red foam mimicking the shape of a chicken that is customarily used as an agitator to train chickens to fight, the report said.

The investigators made contact with Romero, the owner of an auto parts business at the site, who admitted he owns the chickens, the report said.

Romero let investigators inside his business, where they found a cockfighting ring and more chickens, the report said.

In all, police said they found about 160 fighting roosters.

“It was determined that Mr. Romero was breeding and training these roosters for figting and storing them in his place of business,” police said in a statement Friday.

Police booked Romero into jail. Attorney information wasn’t available.

Aerial footage from the scene Friday showed some chickens still in cages behind the business.