Sale of cockfighting birds
Albuquerque, NM (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Jul 22, 2006
County: Bernalillo

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Julio Esparza

A man was arrested for illegally selling roosters for cockfighting, according to the Albuquerque Police Department.

The sport, which is legal in the state, is illegal within city limits. It's also illegal to sell the birds for that purpose.

A local man tried to sell two birds, with the intention that they were heading to the ring, police said.

Julio Esparza was suspected after an advertisement in the newspaper addressed the selling of some gaming birds.

The police department was tipped off and staged an undercover sting.

"We had some guys really motivated on this, got on it, made a deal with this guy, and he was more than willing to sell," said Lt. Murray Conrad of the Albuquerque Police Department.

Officers paid him with a citation and animal control took custody of the birds.

Police told Action 7 News that rooster breeders, who want to sell the animals for cockfighting, should be warned.

Esparza faces up to a $500 fine and possible jail time, police said.

The birds were taken to the West Side Animal Shelter for adoption.

References

• Channel 7 News - July 22, 2006

« More cases in Bernalillo County, NM

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.