BITHLO, Fla. -- Investigators spent 10 years gathering evidence against a man suspected of running a violent cockfighting ring out of his home and that effort culminated in a raid Monday night.

---

SLIDESHOW: Images From The Scene
ANIMAL NEWS: Read More Stories About Animals In The News

---

Fifty roosters were seized by Orange County Animal Control officers Monday night from a home on 8th Street in Bithlo (see map) after officers received a tip of suspicious activity. Inside, they found evidence associated with cockfighting, such as metal spurs, spikes, blood on the walls and birds with their feathers plucked out.

"They tried to remove the feathers so that they would get better traction. They don't need them when they fight. They rip and tear and they get blood in their eyes and can't see," said animal control officer Kimberly Duncan.

Deputies arrested 47-year-old Carlos Ramos, who investigators said is the mastermind behind the elaborate operation that usually involves gambling and drugs.

When authorities entered the shed, they found a fiberglass pool liner that doubles as a cockfighting ring.

"Through further investigation of the property, we identified and located log books, which detailed this individual's history of breeding birds, selling birds and fighting birds. It goes back to 1999," said Rick Broxton of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Cockfighting is legal in Latin American countries, but in the United States it is considered a form of animal cruelty.

The woman who also lives in the house told investigators she did not know what was going on. Meanwhile, Ramos is facing numerous charges, including fighting and baiting animals, animal cruelty and the confinement of animals without food or water. He bonded out of jail Tuesday morning.