Coachella, Indio men arrested in cockfighting operation, sheriff's department says

Two east Coachella Valley men suspected of taking part in a cockfighting operation were arrested this week on animal cruelty and gun charges.

Jorge Alberto Casillas Flores, 30, of Coachella and 27-year-old Indio resident Antonio De Jesus Casillas Flores were arrested Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of being a gang member with a firearm, animal cruelty and cockfighting, said Sgt. Paul Heredia of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. It was not immediately known whether or how the two men were related.

Antonio De Jesus Casillas Flores was additionally arrested on suspicion of providing firearms to a convicted felon and possessing a stolen firearm while Jorge Alberto Casillas Flores was additionally suspected being a felon in possession of firearms and of ammunition, Heredia said.

Deputies and other law enforcement officers searched two residences, one in in the 52000 block of Calle Leandro in Coachella and one in the 81000 block of Avenue 46 in Indio, Heredia said. He said they found several illegally possessed firearms, including seven rifles, one which was previously reported stolen, and 10 handguns.

"Additionally, Gang Task Force Officers located multiple gamecocks and items related to cockfighting such as gaffs, the razor-sharp steel blades used to attach to a gamecocks' legs during a cockfight," Heredia wrote in a statement. "Riverside County Animal Control subsequently responded and took possession of the gamecocks that were located during the search warrant."

The two men were arrested and booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio but posted $10,000 bail bonds and were released Thursday, according to inmate records.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella, Indio men suspected in cockfighting operation