Four men are facing charges for their role in a combined dog-fighting and drug ring, which led to the seizure of 29 pit bulls, several bricks of heroin, and a frozen dog carcass, prosecutors said.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced the arrests on Friday of Manhattan residents Jose Rivera and Evan Fuentes, along with Benito Gittens of Long Island and Edward Johnson of Middletown, New York.

The abused dogs were allegedly trained to fight in the Washington Heights building where 55-year-old Rivera lived and worked as a superintendent.

There, investigators say they discovered a dozen pit bulls in various states of abuse, a dead dog in the freezer, multiple treadmills, weighted vests, and “breaking sticks” designed to pry open the animal's jaws. They allegedly also found seven kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, and two loaded handguns.

The grisly scene was uncovered as part of an identity theft investigation initiated by the district attorney's cybercrime unit.

arrow A dog treadmill and dog weights recovered as part of the investigation Court documents

"Animal cruelty has no place in 21st-century New York, and will be met with the full force of our laws,” D.A Vance said in a statement. “Thanks to my Office’s Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau, an ongoing investigation into identity theft not only uncovered this brutal dogfighting ring, but a heroin and fentanyl operation."

Four other dogs were seized from Fuentes' Harlem apartment. Gittens, who worked at a veterinary clinic on Long Island, allegedly performed medical treatments on dogs so they could continue fighting, and euthanized others that were badly injured. Twelve pit bulls were recovered from his Uniondale home.

Johnson is accused of organizing the fights, for which he charged a $50 entrance fee. Those fights took place between September of 2018 and October of this year, prosecutors said.

“The horrors of dogfighting and its tragic consequences for vulnerable dogs are more brutal than most can imagine, and this case is a sobering reminder that it persists and can happen anywhere," said Matt Bershadker, President and CEO of the ASPCA, which is helping to care for the abused dogs.

The defendants were charged with a range of felony animal fighting crimes, weapons possession, and drug trafficking.