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A third individual involved in an Amarillo cockfighting ring has been sentenced as part of a broader gambling investigation.
Salvador Sanchez Chávez, 49, was sentenced to a custodial jail term after the case led by United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould discovered additional guilt.
Chávez’s case stems from a broader investigation into cockfighting
The case stems from an investigation led by the Dallas Field Office (Amarillo Resident Agency) of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
on February 2025three people, including Chávez, were indicted for their roles in this animal fight, which violated the federal Animal Welfare Act.
Along with HSI, the case involved multiple agencies, including the Potter County Sheriff’s Office, Texas State Game Wardens, Amarillo Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who conducted the investigation, along with support from the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
In a statement on Facebook, the center SAYS: “Finally, the decision was made that these chickens should be humanely euthanized. While that outcome was never easy, we were relieved to know that during the time they spent with us, they were shown compassion. They were fed, warmed, spoken to gently, and allowed to exist only as chickens—without fear, pain, and expectation.
“Some days on this job are beautiful. Some days are depressing.
Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard said, “The ferocious fighting of defenseless animals against each other for sport, gambling, or personal pleasure is cruel and sadistic, and the illicit proceeds are often used to fuel other transnational criminal activity.”
The third person was sentenced
Chávez was one of the individuals, including Ivan Herrera Lopez, 45, and Jaime Gamez Resendiz, 34, involved in a complaint the Potter County Sheriff’s Office responded to at a property in Amarillo on February 10, 2024.
Upon arrival at the site, a live chicken contest continued, and as part of the testimony of the deputies present, there were “several dead chickens, over 160 live fighting chickens, metal blades or claws used to attach chicken legs for fighting, syringes and drugs used to increase adrenaline in chickens before a fight.”
Evidence showed a marker board for documenting bets and other items indicating a chicken gambling operation was underway.
“Cockfighting is not a sport. It is senseless cruelty,” said US Attorney Ryan Raybould. “This prosecution and the sentences reflect the seriousness of the defendants’ crimes against animals. Let our law enforcement partners know to save these animals before further harm is done.”
Chávez, along with other defendants, was sentenced by US District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk after a long list of evidence showing the confirmation, purchase and transport of animals for this infamous gambling ring.
He will be sentenced to 11 months in federal prison, and the men will be subject to removal from their Mexican homeland from the United States.
Lopez pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was sentenced in October to eight months in federal prison and a $10,000 fine, while Resendiz also pleaded guilty in July and received an eight-month sentence.
Pickard concluded, “We were able to dismantle the criminal organization responsible for operating this illegal gambling operation, hold the criminal illegal aliens accountable, and save the animals from certain death.”
Featured image: Canva
The post Amarillo cockfighter number three sentenced in federal gambling probe first appeared in ReadWrite.
