Are dog Fights a new Line of Business for Mexican Cartels?

Jan. 25, 2013— -- Prosecutors in Mexico suspect that two of the country´s most feared drug cartels are organizing cockfights, dog fights, underground horse races, and even fights between people, as they look for alternate sources of revenue.

This information was unveiled on Friday by Mexican newspaper Excelsior, which reported that the national Attorney General´s Office, has launched 227 preliminary investigations against members of the Los Zetas gang and the Tijuana Cartel, who are presumably involved in these schemes.

Prosecutors also told Excelsior that dog fights and cock fights are taking place in Mexico City and the states of Veracruz, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Tabasco. All of these activities are allegedly tied to illegal gambling.

"Officials from the Attorney General´s office confirmed to us that criminal groups breed their own animals for illicit activities like dog fights," reports Excelsior, adding that fights between humans which are organized by the cartels, include boxing matches, or "full contact," bouts in which participants can get killed.

These allegations are not altogether surprising. It has been widely reported that over the past five years, Mexican cartels have diversified from the drug trade, and moved into activities like kidnapping people for ransom, taxing businesses, and smuggling immigrants across the U.S. border.