PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Phoenix man is facing an animal cruelty charge after police said he was dealing drugs and in charge of a cockfighting ring at his various properties in the same neighborhood.
Glendale police said an armed robbery investigation led them to the home of 60-year-old Victor Manuel Espinoza on Feb. 18 near 7th Avenue and Buckeye Road. Officers said they found evidence that cockfighting, including a ledger of names of people who participated in the fights, sharp knives with curved blades, three dead chickens and a 2024 cockfighting trophy.
Espinoza also owns properties across the street, and that’s where they found 65 roosters in cages and six dead ones, court paperwork said. Several were groomed to be ready for fighting, and several others were injured due to fighting, police said.
Officers also found cages used to transport roosters. On the south side of the property, they found the suspected fighting ring, where one side had four roosters in individual cases. It’s common for champion cockfighters to be in larger cages at or near the ring…