CHARLES CITY, Va. (AP) - Federal authorities are seeking the forfeiture of more than a dozen pit bulls seized in Virginia during the investigation of a multistate narcotics and dog fighting network, according to court documents.
The dogs were recovered by the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Virginia law enforcement agencies carrying out federal search warrants in Sussex County and Charles City County in November, according to court records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Now, federal officials are formally asking the court to terminate the unidentified suspects’ rights to 19 of the 41 dogs recovered, according to a complaint for forfeiture filed Monday. A civil forfeiture warrant for the dogs was entered in U.S. District Court in Richmond on Tuesday, the Times-Dispatch reported.
The suspects were not identified and federal officials declined to comment further on the case.
The dogs remained U.S. Marshals Service custody and were being cared for by a contractor, officials said. Some were discovered scarred, freshly wounded and suffering from broken teeth, worms and other medical issues, according to the forfeiture complaint.
Many of the animals were chained to trees or ground anchors, the documents alleged.
Paraphernalia including treadmills, training sticks, an animal hide, syringes, a weighted vest and other items were also seized from the properties, according to authorities.
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