Thirty-four men are facing charges over their alleged involvement in a "barbaric" cockfighting ring which saw police and the RSPCA seize 71 birds in a December raid.
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The fighting cockerels were found after detectives raided a property on Camden Valley Way at Catherine Field in southwest Sydney on December 13.
Police found a designated cockfighting area, several large sheds containing the birds, as well as metal spikes, spurs and other cockfighting paraphernalia.
They also seized $107,170 and several electronic devices.
Thirty-five men were detained on the day of the raid, with 34 of them now facing charges of promoting, organising or attending the animal fights.
The men are aged between 19 and 77.
One of them, a 45-year-old Catherine Field resident, will be charged with organising the fighting, NSW Police said in a statement on Thursday.
Another eight are facing charges over owning the spurs.
A 56-year-old man is in the custody of the Department of Home Affairs.
"This type of barbaric ... practice involves persons fixing sharpened spikes ... or small blades to the feet of two cockerels who in turn fight until one of the cockerels is either dead, seriously injured or can no longer fight," Organised Crime Squad Detective Superintendent Martin Fileman said last month.
Several of the birds had to be taken into veterinary care for serious injuries.
The investigation started last year when detectives from the State Crime Command's Organised Crime Squad, together with the NSW Crime Commission and RSPCA NSW, began investigating reports of animal cruelty.
Police believe it's the first cockfighting ring to be busted in about 20 years.
The 34 men will face court in Picton on February 23.
Australian Associated Press
