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Cockfighting Operation Discovered In Santa Rosa

SANTA ROSA (CBS / AP) -- Santa Rosa police have discovered what they believe is an illegal cockfighting operation involving about 150 roosters.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports narcotics officers stumbled on the operation Monday when they went to a rural home on a drug case.

Officials say the officers found about 300 chickens caged or penned on the property in southwestern Santa Rosa. About half were roosters.

Police found an ounce of methamphetamine and arrested 42-year-old Jose Lopez Vidal on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine for sale.

Sonoma County animal control officers left the animals with notice they would be making periodic checks of the property. It's still unclear who owns the chickens.

Cockfighting involves gambling and pits two or more birds in an enclosure and ends when one kills the other.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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