Chickens, cash and guns seized in alleged cockfighting operation
Four hundred seventy-eight birds, 11 firearms, over $60,000 cash, and cockfighting implements were seized by authorities after the execution of two search warrants in an alleged cockfighting operation, according to authorities.
“I am extremely proud of the deputies and detectives that turned this from a TikTok video to multiple people being arrested for multiple felony crimes, getting these people off the street and saving these animals,” Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill told the Pahrump Valley Times.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office arrested three people on Tuesday, May 26, in Pahrump. The sheriff’s office shared the following information about the suspects in arrest reports and in a press release:
Jorge Guzman Torres, a male who is in the county on a permanent resident card, was arrested on 56 felony counts of animal ownership for cockfighting, 56 felony counts of animal abuse, two felony counts of operating a residence for cockfighting, one gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to operate a residence for cockfighting, 63 gross misdemeanor counts of gaff possession, and nine felony counts of personal identifying information possession to allegedly establish a false identity or status.
Grisel Juarez Diaz, a female with a pending immigration status, faces 29 felony counts of animal ownership for cockfighting, 29 felony counts of animal abuse, one felony count of operating a residence for cockfighting, one gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to operate a residence for cockfighting, and 63 gross misdemeanor counts of gaff possession.
Ignacio Juarez Gomez, an undocumented man, was charged with one felony count of operating a residence for cockfighting, one felony count of animal ownership for cockfighting, one gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to operate a residence for cockfighting, 20 gross misdemeanor counts of gaff possession, and one felony count of prohibited person firearm possession.
The sheriff’s office said the warrant arrest operation was conducted with its SWAT team, problem-solving unit detectives, general assignment detectives, patrol, and auxiliary unit. Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Nye County Animal Control were also part of the investigation.
According to the three suspects’ arrest reports, the investigation initially began on Monday, May 18, when a deputy showed a detective an account on TikTok where individuals stated they were raising large quantities of roosters and hens for fighting, alluding to a potential cockfighting operation.
The reports states that police then looked through the account and found its profile picture as a rooster, its bio with a rooster emoji, and “Pahrump, NV” and “NOT FOR ILLEGAL PURPOSES” written in the bio.
According to the reports, the first video posted by the account was in November 2025, with the most recent video posted on May 15, with the following hashtags found in each video: #gamefarm, #gallero, #gallos, #gamerooster.
Law enforcement researched and deliberated in the arrest reports that those terms used in the hashtags and the English translations of the Spanish words refer to rooster breeding for fighting and cockfighting.
Through videos from the account, location canvassing and a records search, police were able to pinpoint four properties all owned by Torres in southwest Pahrump, with two of them being co-owned by Diaz, the reports detail.
According to the arrest reports, Gomez was found at one of the properties, where Homeland Security agents confirmed his immigration status. Diaz was found at another residence, and Torres arrived at the scene later.
The reports add that authorities also found a cockfighting certificate for Torres, a cockfighting derby roster, seven counterfeit Social Security cards, and four counterfeit Nevada driver’s licenses at one of the properties.
All three of the suspects were taken into custody and transported to the Nye County Detention Center without incident. The birds are now being taken care of by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, McGill confirmed.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
