Smuggling cockfighting gaffs
Honolulu, HI (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Feb 2, 2008
County: Honolulu

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Joseph Marty Toralba

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

A man accused of smuggling cockfighting knives into the United States was charged Thursday under a new federal law that cracks down on animal cruelty.

The man, 39-year-old Joseph Marty Toralba, attempted to carry 263 gaffs - sharp knives tied to game birds' legs - from the Philippines to his 150-bird farm in Colfax, La., before he was arrested at the Honolulu airport Feb. 2, according to federal prosecutors.

Prosecutors believe this is the first case in the nation using the new law, which made animal fighting activities a felony instead of a misdemeanor when it went into effect in May 2007.

"A cockfight ... pits two fighting birds against each other in order for them to effectively duel to the death," said U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo. "We must act, and we will act whenever we find this type of illegal activity."

Toralba, a self-employed landscaper, faces up to three years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

His public defender, Shanlyn Park, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Thursday afternoon.

Customs officers found the gaffs hidden with portable gas stoves in cardboard boxes Toralba had checked in on the plane. Toralba told an officer he bought the gaffs for $125 while visiting the Philippines to attend an international cockfighting derby.

Toralba told investigators the gaffs are tied to the bird's left leg, Terrence Chu, an immigration special agent wrote in a criminal complaint.

"Generally, the two cocks fight to the death," Chu wrote.

Cockfighting is illegal in every state except for Louisiana, where the sport will also be outlawed beginning in August.

Toralba would have been safe from prosecution if he had made it back home, but the federal law can be enforced against people who transport cockfighting weapons across state lines, Kubo said.

People who participate in cockfighting can't justify their actions by saying it's part of their culture, Kubo said.

"I hear and understand their concerns about cultural heritage," he said. "This activity is clearly illegal and we have no choice."

Toralba was released on bond and allowed to travel home to Louisiana, but he must return to Honolulu to face the charges now that he's been indicted, Kubo said. His next court date hasn't been set.

Case Updates

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