An Update: On March 30 investigators and members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Legal Bureau received an “Order on Emergency Petition to Euthanize” signed by a judge. Due to the breeding practices and the fighting nature of the breed, no other reasonable accommodations could be made. All of the chickens recovered from the cock fighting farm at 18151 Wildcat Drive, Estero must be euthanized. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigation continues.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division said today that deputies assisted in serving a search warrant Monday with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at 18151 Wildcat Drive, Estero. During the execution of the search warrant a member of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Section discovered several items he believed to be used in cock fighting.

These items included approximately 200 fighting roosters housed in separate cages as well as the paraphernalia used such as sharp razor spurs, needles, and incubating equipment.

A deputy with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Agriculture Unit responded to the 11-acre property and found evidence that the location was being used as a breeding cock farm for training, selling, and fighting domestic roosters.

On Tuesday, March 29, 2011, a detective assigned to investigate the case executed a search warrant on the property and recovered approximately 280 fighting roosters, hens, and biddies (baby chicks).

Also recovered were over 60 blades used in rooster fighting, medical supplies, two scales, rooster fighting magazines, and custom-made cages, authorities said. Several guns were also recovered including one which had been reported stolen out of Lee County.

Noel Eduardo Madrid-Matute, 34, Alvaro Gadiel Meza-Barba, 34, Jesus Guadalupe Meza-Barba, 30, each face assorted charges related to selling or possessing animals and equipment used to fight as well as owning or leasing property used for animals to fight, authorities said. All three suspects live at 18151 Wildcat Drive, Estero. They were booked into the Lee County Jail.