Executed in collaboration with Calaveras County Animal Services and the Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office, officials searched the property for items related to illegal rooster fighting activities and found more than 160 roosters on site.
California allows adults 21 and older to grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use. Commercial grows, though, must be licensed and a large number of counties in the state do not allow any form of outdoor cultivation.Photo by Calaveras County Sheriff's OfficeThese include defendants who have two or more prior convictions for cultivating more than six marijuana plants and those who violate certain California environmental laws in their marijuana cultivation activities.
As for the animals, CCSO reports that each rooster was either banded as evidence, and left on the property, or collected. The animals remaining on-site “will be routinely inspected by law enforcement and animal services pending the disposition of the criminal case,” the statement notes. A 71-year-old man was issued a citation for charges of illegal cannabis, possession of marijuana for sale and conspiracy to commit crime, per CCSO. A 45-year-old woman was cited on charges of animal cruelty for amusement or gain, possession of bird-fighting equipment, possessing/keeping/training birds for fighting and conspiracy to commit crime, the police statement adds.It’s not the first time that illegal cannabis has led to an illegal cockfighting ring in California.