Colombian law enforcement officials have announced significant convictions in a high-profile cross-border animal cruelty case, with 13 people — including foreign citizens from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Venezuela — sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for orchestrating and participating in an unauthorized international dog-fighting tournament on a private farm outside Bogotá.
Officials from Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office confirmed that all defendants have formally pled guilty to charges of aggravated animal abuse, which includes the intentional killing of animals and infliction of severe bodily harm carried out for financial profit. Investigative records show the brutal event was held on March 14 at a secluded rural estate in the municipality of La Calera, where organizers had pre-constructed a purpose-built fighting ring and set up a dedicated spectator zone complete with food and beverage concessions for paying attendees.
When law enforcement executed a raid on the property following an anonymous tip, officers recovered the bodies of two dogs that had died from extreme traumatic injuries consistent with dog fighting, and safely removed 12 additional live canines from the site. A post-rescue veterinary assessment found six of the surviving animals suffered lasting physical and psychological trauma linked to long-term abuse and repeated forced participation in organized fights.
Prosecutors detailed that nine foreign nationals, a majority of whom were from the Dominican Republic, provided the bulk of funding for the event and traveled specifically to Colombia to attend the illegal tournament. Four Colombian citizens were also convicted alongside their foreign co-conspirators, including the ring’s suspected primary organizer and a local veterinarian who facilitated the operation.
Each defendant received an identical custodial sentence of 31 months and 15 days, ordered to pay a collective fine totaling nearly 50 million Colombian pesos, equal to roughly $14,500 USD, and received a permanent ban on owning or caring for any animals that remains in effect for the full duration of their prison sentences. The convictions mark one of the first high-profile applications of Colombia’s strict new 2025 animal welfare legislation, known as the Ángel Law, which formally banned all organized animal fighting across the country and dramatically increased criminal penalties for all forms of animal cruelty and abuse.