What started as a run-of-the-mill traffic stop on Interstate 70 near Denver turned into something straight out of a crime drama Thursday, when troopers say they found suspected illegal drugs and several live roosters packed into a vehicle. The discovery was serious enough that officers impounded the car on the spot and called in animal control as investigators combed through the scene.
According to KDVR, Colorado State Patrol troopers pulled the vehicle over on the interstate, then uncovered narcotics alongside the birds during a search. Three people were taken into custody at the roadside. The outlet reports that officers removed the roosters as potential evidence, and video from KDVR shows troopers loading the animals and other items from the vehicle into evidence bags.
Roosters, Health Risks And Colorado Penalties
Under Colorado law, transporting or keeping animals for fighting is not a minor offense; it is a crime. As outlined in Animal Law, anyone who “owns, trains, transports, possesses, breeds, sells, transfers, or equips” an animal with the intent that it will be used in a fight can face a class 5 felony, mandatory fines, and court-ordered forfeiture of the animals.
Animal welfare advocates point out that it is not just about cruelty in the ring. Moving and confining large numbers of birds can raise public health concerns, including the spread of avian diseases, according to PETA.
Federal Heat And Criminal Crossovers
The legal exposure does not stop at state lines. Federal law also makes it a crime to transport animals across state borders for fighting, and Congress stiffened penalties with the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, per Congress.gov.
In other cases around the country, investigators have found that cockfighting operations often overlap with narcotics and weapons crimes. A multistate indictment supported by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives earlier this year alleged criminal conspiracies involving drugs, firearms, and cockfighting, according to the ATF. The agency and local reporters have documented cases where roosters and narcotics turned up side by side, including one Colorado bust highlighted by CBS Colorado.
What Comes Next
In this 70-stop, officials impounded the vehicle and seized the birds, and three people were arrested. It was not immediately clear what specific charges they face, KDVR reported.
If prosecutors decide to pursue animal fighting or drug counts, the defendants could be looking at state felony charges and possibly federal charges as well if investigators determine that animals or contraband crossed state lines. For now, the case is still under investigation by state troopers and animal control authorities, who will decide whether to send it on to local or federal prosecutors.
