Two extra-large bags of dried corn were the only remnants left Monday of a Brooklyn cockfighting venue that was raided.
Jeremias Nieves, 74, owner of a Bushwick pet shop where fights were allegedly held, was among nine men arraigned over the weekend in what authorities said was the state’s largest-ever cockfighting bust.
Officials seized 3,000 birds in Operation Angry Birds, which saw raids in Brooklyn, Queens and Ulster County. Also seized were cages and cockfighting contraband, including spurs, candle wax, tape and syringes used to inject birds with performance-enhancing drugs.
Law-enforcement officials said wagers on fights reached $10,000.
At a Queens venue where birds were allegedly made to fight to the death in a dank basement, neighbors said they were pleased with the arrests.
“It was a mess,” recalled José Maldonado, 49, who said one of the suspects used to hire him to clean the basement.
“A van would come and drop the birds off in the back. He got them from upstate. I went to a fight once. The fights would last about an hour. He used to charge like $20 to get in, and then you had to buy the beer.
“I knew I had to break out because it was illegal. I stopped working for him and moved out.”