Cockfighting Bust Leads Investigators To Finding Moonshine, Marijuana, Fentanyl, Cash, and More

Caryn Little,

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — A call about an illegal cockfighting event led investigators to rescuing 112 chickens, arresting dozens of people, and confiscating drugs and moonshine. It all happened off Prospect Church Road on May 14th in Chesterfield County.

Investigators say they received a tip about an illegal cockfighting event. Approximately 20 officers from the sheriff’s office and DNR responded and as a result, the following charges were made:

  • 38 people arrested and charged with cockfighting
  • 1 person charged with possession of fentanyl
  • 7 people charged with possession of marijuana
  • 1 person charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana
  • 1 person charged with unlawful possession of a weapon

The following items were seized by law enforcement:

  • 2 jars of moonshine
  • cockfighting equipment
  • 104.8 grams of marijuana
  • $15,295.39 in cash
  • multiple sets of scales
  • 1 pickup truck
  • 4 trailers
  • 1 computer

Also, 16 vehicles were towed from the scene and 112 chickens were rescued.

Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy issued a statement on news that dozens of people in the Pee Dee region have been arrested for cockfighting, weapons and drugs including fentanyl were seized, with 112 chickens rescued and sent to a local shelter, according to Chesterfield County Sheriff Campbo Streater.

Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, issued the following statement:

“Kudos to the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office for breaking up a cockfighting operation and recognizing that these staged animal fights are bound up with illegal gambling and a wide range of other practices,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “Cockfighters need to understand that they are putting their freedom at risk by engaging in this barbaric and criminal enterprise.”

Pacelle added: “Animal Wellness Action and its team of experts on cockfighting stands ready to assist the sheriff’s office as a resource.”

This is the second major cockfighting bust in the Pee Dee within the past month. In the Marlboro County case, four men are now behind bars after law enforcement acted on complaints about illegal animal fighting and other crimes, including drug sales and cockfighting at a property in the area of Griggs Circle. Deputies armed with a search warrant uncovered “13 dead, mutilated roosters, guns, and drugs,” according to news reports.





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