A Gwinnett County man who pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges will forfeit more than $115,000 seized during his arrest and spend five years in prison — the maximum sentence he faced.
Vernon Vegas, 49, of Suwanee, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Vegas’ five years in prison will be followed by three years of supervised release and accompanied by a $10,000 fine, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Peter D. Leary said in a news release.
Vegas’ business, Cane Valley Kennels, was at the center of an investigation into “a significant multistate dogfighting and drug trafficking ring,” Leary said. The criminal organization was suspected of being involved in both dogfighting and cocaine distribution based out of Roberta and extending into North Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
According to Leary, Vegas bred, trained and sold fighting dogs for nearly 25 years, from 1996 to 2020. 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.
“This case illustrates that dogfighting is intimately connected with the underworld of drugs and organized crime, and that the Department of Justice will investigate and prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim said.
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