4 Men, 2 Women Arrested In Lancaster Cockfighting Operation

LANCASTER (CBS) — Six people -- four men and two women -- were arrested Wednesday during a cockfighting raid at a home just north of Lancaster.

In addition, more than 100 roosters were seized.

Seven children ranging in ages from 4 to 17 were taken into protective custody by deputies from the sheriff's Lancaster Station in the 6 a.m. raid in the 46200 block of 30th Street East, said Deputy Lillian Peck of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.

A large amount of methamphetamine (reportedly as much as $1 million) and items to manufacture the drug were seized, as were performance-enhancing drugs used to bolster the fighting potential of the birds, sparring muffs used in training, a scale to weigh the roosters and a large number of cages, Peck said.

Some of the injured animals had been thrown in the trash even though they weren't dead, she said.

The birds are valued at between $1,000 and $10,000 each, Peck said.

The names and charges against the suspects were not immediately available.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)