On the afternoon of May 16, 2026, a quiet residential road in Tolland, Connecticut became the center of one of the largest single-location arrest operations the state has seen in recent memory. At 1:29 p.m., the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Special Investigations executed a search and seizure warrant at 55 Mountain Spring Road, capping what the department described as a lengthy investigation into illegal gambling and cockfighting events allegedly hosted inside the home.

By the time the operation concluded, investigators had made 100 in-custody arrests, seized roughly $90,000 in cash, and uncovered 273 birds on the property. According to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, every one of those birds had to be euthanized because of their deteriorated condition — a detail that underscores the grim reality behind cockfighting operations, where animals are bred and kept for the sole purpose of being forced to fight.

The Homeowners

The two people identified as the homeowners, Elvin Miranda (born 1966) and Lisa Miranda (born 1960), were arrested at the scene and taken to Troop C for processing. Both were charged under several Connecticut statutes: cruelty to animals (C.G.S. 53-247), professional gambling (C.G.S. 53-278b), operating a gambling premise (C.G.S. 53-278e), and risk of injury to a minor (C.G.S. 53-21). That last charge is notable — it suggests investigators had reason to believe a child was present or exposed to the activity at the residence, which adds a serious dimension to a case that might otherwise read as a gambling-and-animals matter.

The Mirandas were each released after posting a $250,000 cash or surety bond and are due in Rockville Superior Court (GA-19) on June 18, 2026.

A Sprawling Arrestee List

What makes this case stand out is its sheer scale. The 100 arrestees span a wide range of ages and bond amounts, with court dates staggered across late May and June 2026 — a logistical necessity when processing a group this size through a single courthouse.

Bond amounts varied dramatically depending, presumably, on each individual’s alleged role. Many attendees were released on $10,000 non-surety bonds, consistent with lower-level participation. Others faced bonds of $50,000 or $100,000. At the top end, a number of individuals were held on $250,000 bonds, and one arrestee, Domingo Antonio Marte, faced a $500,000 bond — the highest on the list, hinting at a more central alleged role in the operation.

The staggered court dates tell their own story. A cluster of defendants with higher bonds were scheduled for arraignment on May 18, just two days after the raid, while the majority were spread across appearances running through June 18 — the same date the Mirandas are due in court.

A Major Multi-Agency Effort

An operation resulting in 100 arrests at a single residence doesn’t happen with a couple of cruisers. The raid drew on a remarkable concentration of resources. On the Connecticut State Police side alone, the effort involved the Emergency Services Unit tactical team, the Aviation Unit, the Drone Unit, Eastern District Major Crime, Troop C in Tolland, the K9 Unit, and the Intelligence Operations Unit.

Beyond the state police, a long list of partner agencies assisted: the Office of the State’s Attorney at Rockville Superior Court, the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Department of Agriculture, and both the Tolland Fire Department and Tolland EMS. The involvement of Department of Correction personnel and EMS on standby reflects the planning required to safely detain and transport such a large group, while the Department of Agriculture’s role speaks directly to the animal welfare side of the case.

What Comes Next

For now, the case moves into the courts. The charges against the Mirandas — particularly the combination of animal cruelty, organized gambling, and risk of injury to a minor — will be litigated at Rockville Superior Court, while the dozens of other defendants work through their own staggered arraignments over the coming weeks.

Cockfighting is illegal in all fifty states, and Connecticut treats both the operation of such events and the gambling that typically accompanies them as serious offenses. The euthanasia of 273 birds is a sobering reminder that these cases are not victimless: the animals at the center of them are casualties regardless of how the legal proceedings unfold.

As the June court dates approach, this case is likely to remain in the public eye — both for the scale of the arrests and for the questions it raises about how long such an operation was able to run before the investigation brought it to an end.

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