More Than 350 Dogs Rescued from Dog-Fighting Ring

12 arrested, $500,000 seized in Alabama

An investigation into organized dog fighting and gambling in the Southeast resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of 367 pits bulls in one of the nation's largest crackdowns on the bloody exhibitions.

Federal, state and local officials announced the arrests Monday. They stemmed from raids Friday on homes in Alabama and Georgia and the seizure of more than $500,000 in cash that investigators believe was tied to illegal gambling on dog fights.

"I believe if Dante were alive today and rewriting the 'Inferno' that the lowest places in hell would be reserved for those who commit cruelty to our animals and to our children," U.S. Attorney George Beck said at a news conference.