U.S. attorney Charles "Charlie" Peeler of the Middle District of Georgia will be using the federal Animal Welfare Act to prosecute alleged drug traffickers he says have been running a "barbaric" business.

Together with local law enforcement agencies and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Peeler executed 11 search warrants Wednesday at different locations around the region as part of a months long investigation, he announced. And that's how the U.S. Marshals Service came to be in possession of roughly 160 rescued dogs.

That's more than three times the number rescued when ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was famously arrested and charged with dog fighting a dozen years ago. Unprecedented efforts were made then to rescue abused animals and help them recover.

Charlie Peeler, U.S. attorney, Middle District of Georgia. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

"Illegal dog fighting is a barbaric activity," Peeler said in an announcement of the news Thursday. "Those who choose to violate the Animal Welfare Act face serious consequences, including federal prison time, where there is no parole."

Peeler expressed gratitude for all the law enforcement teams who came to the rescue and said assistant U.S. attorney Julia Bowen Mize will lead the prosecution.

Many of the animals are malnourished and scarred, Peeler said. Some are severely injured and require surgery. A golden-colored female pit bull was discovered chained with broken legs, over bred and nearly starved. She received emergency care on the site Wednesday from a veterinarian working with law enforcement officers. Other dogs were taken to clinics for emergency surgery to treat their injuries. For the safety of the animals, the location of their care and housing will not be made public, Peeler said.

Peeler also shared a statement from special agent-in-charge Jason Williams of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General.

"The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms, and gambling," Williams said. "Animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA-OIG, and together with the Department of Justice, we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures."

The act defines "animal fighting venture" as "any event, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, that involves a fight conducted or to be conducted between at least two animals for purposes of sport, wagering, or entertainment," Peeler noted. The law prohibits sponsoring, exhibiting, owning or transporting an animal for fighting.