Miami-Dade man had cockfighting ring, dead rooster and caged dogs, officers say
A man was arrested Monday for possessing animals to fight after officers found a cockfighting training ring and a caged dead rooster on his property, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.
Officers went around 7:30 a.m. to the 24000 block of Southwest 123rd Avenue to execute a search warrant at a possible cockfighting location, according to an arrest affidavit. Leonardo Cabrera, 62, was on the property and was identified as the owner.
A detective heard roosters crowing from within a fenced area and saw several caged, game fowl roosters, which are “bred and trained specifically for fighting,” the sheriff’s office said.
Cabrera is accused of having a cockfighting training ring, a dead rooster in a cage, a rooster agitator (a device used to incite fighting), a gun, rooster vitamins, syringes and medication on his property.
“In addition, 10 dogs were observed individually caged, containing urine and feces in the entire base of the cage with no accessible food,” the sheriff’s office said.
Cabrera was arrested and is facing charges that include owning and/or breeding animals to fight, animal cruelty with the intent to injure or kill and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On July 5, 2024, Cabrera was convicted of three felonies: owning animals to fight, animal cruelty and owning or selling animal fighting equipment, Miami-Dade court records show. He received a sentence of time served for spending two days in jail.
At a Tuesday bond hearing, Cabrera’s defense attorney argued there was a lack of probable cause and no indication Cabrera’s dogs were malnourished or of cockfighting, a livestream of Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer’s courtroom showed. His attorney was not identified on the livestream or in court records. Prosecutors noted Cabrera’s prior animal-fighting conviction.
Cabrera was in custody as of Tuesday afternoon at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, jail records show.
