In one of the more rural sections of Fannin County, where most of his neighbors are related by blood, Albert Glenn White was well-situated to operate an influential dogfighting ring, authorities allege.

The Appalachian Circuit District Attorney's Office raided Mountain Swamp Kennels in Blue Ridge on Thursday morning, finding 22 pit bulls along with three dogfighting pits and "suspected dogfighting paraphernalia."

"He's connected to a much larger world outside of Fannin County," said Laura Bevan, director of the U.S. Humane Society's Southeast regional office. Her office provided intelligence collected by the Atlanta-based private security firm Norred & Associates to District Attorney Joe Hendricks' office.

Hendricks' investigation into White, 58, began three weeks ago, he said.

"There's a tremendous amount of evidence here," he said. White was charged with one count of felony dogfighting on Thursday, and more charges are expected. He's being held in the Fannin County Jail without bond.

The pit bulls were "thin, some very thin," Bevan said, and have scars consistent with dogfighting.

White is accused of breeding several pit bull bloodlines that are cherished by dogfighters, Bevan said.

Information regarding White's kennels was initially provided to the Humane Society through its tip line, established by Norred & Associates in the wake of the Michael Vick dogfighting case. The tipster will receive $5,000 if White is convicted.

Blue Ridge is about 70 miles north of Atlanta, near the North Carolina border. It was the site of a cockfighting ring that drew up to 300 people every Saturday night until it was shut down by the GBI in 2005.