Lee County deputies uncover two cockfighting operations, remove 136 birds and arrest 2 men

Two people were arrested, and 136 birds were removed after deputies uncovered two separate cockfighting operations in Lee County over the weekend. On Friday, deputies responded to a mobile home trailer that was fully engulfed in flames on Westwood Acres Road in Buckingham, and they said they discovered multiple roosters, a fighting ring, and evidence of a cockfighting operation while clearing the property. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, boxing gloves, B12 injections, and several injured roosters were found during the execution of the search warrant as deputies removed approximately 83 birds from the scene. LCSO arrested the owner, Raul Cartaya Ramos, 54, on an animal cruelty (sell/use/possess animals to fight or bait) charge. In an unrelated incident on Sunday, deputies were called to help animal control after a possible cockfighting ring was discovered in the backyard of a home along Nashville Avenue S in Lehigh Acres. The sheriff's office said deputies found multiple injured roosters housed in separate enclosures, evidence of a training area, sparring muffs, a dummy chicken, and used syringes. The homeowner, Yelandis Rodriguez Hernandez, 40, was arrested after deputies removed 53 birds from the home. He is also facing an animal cruelty charge. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.