A lawyer representing a Manila cockpit operator said multiple administrative and criminal complaints have been filed against law enforcers following a raid that led to the closure of the establishment.

Atty. Carl Jon Mucho of Chavez Miranda Aseoche said in a press conference in Tondo that charges such as abuse of authority, oppression, and grave misconduct are being prepared. He added that a civil case has already been filed before a Manila court to seek injunctive relief and allow the business to resume operations after police padlocked the premises.

“Right now we filed a civil case before the court of Manila and we are gearing up for several other criminal and administrative cases,” Mucho said.

He said the police, particularly the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, barred entry into the cockpit despite the absence of a search warrant. Mucho argued that while authorities are pursuing illegal online sabong operations, the closure of the entire facility was unwarranted.

“There was no online betting system and no illegal gambling activity in our cockpit. That has not been proven because it does not exist. It’s an in-house cockfighting operation and computers are utilized for internal betting,” he said.

Mucho also questioned the seizure of computers without proper warrants for forensic examination, adding that the raid was based on unverified information.

Authorities reportedly arrested more than 170 individuals, including bettors and employees, while 28 were detained for over 40 hours before being released pending further investigation.

Reports also indicated missing cash from betting proceeds and the confiscation of hundreds of fighting cocks, many of which allegedly died during custody.