Transporting fighting roosters
Newark, NJ (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Oct 27, 2004
County: Essex
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Raphael Quezada
Authorities have charged a New York City man who tried to claim a shipment of fighting roosters at Newark Liberty International Airport last week, exposing what they said is a major supply route in the underground gaming industry.
Agents with the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals arrested Raphael Quezada, 34, Wednesday and charged him with possession of fighting birds, a third-degree crime. He faces up to $4,000 in fines and possible community service if convicted.
Quezada had attempted to pick up 17 roosters that had arrived on a Continental Airlines flight from Puerto Rico. The agents said they found evidence of prior shipments of birds.
The SPCA acted on a tip from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The organization has actively targeted cockfighting for the past year.
The birds are bred for fighting and cannot co-exist with other roosters. Large sums of money are bet on cockfights, which are illegal in all states but Louisiana and parts of New Mexico. They are legal in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, according to the SPCA.
"The people involved are making millions, primarily from the gambling involved," said Samantha Mullen of the SPCA's mid-Atlantic regional office. "In most cases when people are caught, they simply pay the fine, whatever it is, because it is usually nothing compared to what they can make with a fighting animal."
Prosecutor Contact Info:
The Honorable Paula T. Dow
Acting Essex County Prosecutor
50 W. Market St.
Newark, NJ 07102 References« NJ State Animal Cruelty Map
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