A Gwinnett County man involved in “a significant multistate dogfighting and drug trafficking ring” has pleaded guilty to charges related to his role as a breeder and trainer, officials said.
Vernon Vegas, 49, of Suwanee, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture, according to acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Peter D. Leary. Vegas will be sentenced Dec. 7 and faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Vegas, the owner of Cane Valley Kennels, was one of 11 people indicted on federal charges after a major dogfighting and drug distribution operation was busted, Leary said in a news release. The investigation led to the execution of 15 residential search warrants in February 2020, resulting in the seizure of more than 150 dogs that were kept for organized fighting. The Roberta-based organization’s activities extended into North Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
In a news release, Leary described Vegas as a “trainer to the trainers” and a well-known breeder who had groomed a long list of dogfighting “champions” during a career that spanned nearly 15 years. Vegas designed a seven-week “keep” program in which he trained dogs to fight, and he would offer training advice to his co-conspirators. At his training facility, Vegas had a variety of exercise equipment and other tools, including chains, a staple gun and veterinary treatments for dogs injured in fights. Vegas even prepared online pedigrees for the dogs bred and trained in his kennels.
“(Vegas) taught individuals about the bloody and brutal business of dogfighting and worked to ensure it was thriving,” Leary said. “Dogfighting ventures are magnets for a multitude of dangerous criminal activity. Our office and law enforcement will not tolerate animal fighting or the crimes surrounding it; we will seek federal prosecution when warranted.”
“This case illustrates the connection between the underworld of drugs, organized crime and dogfighting,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said. “Vernon Vegas profited from these dogs’ pain and will rightly be held to account.”
Vegas was arrested in February, about a year after he was initially indicted, and released the same day on $10,000 bond. He remains on supervised release and was ordered to submit to DNA testing as part of the investigation.
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