Abilene's human trafficking case goes to trial

Abilene sits around 500 miles from the Mexican border at McAllen, Texas, where an alleged human-trafficking ring crossed into the United States in January 2021. The owner of Fun Noodle Restaurant in Abilene allegedly paid for one of these individuals who crossed to work in his restaurant without pay and without the ability to leave. The alleged ringleader of this human-trafficking ring will be in court next week for a jury trial in the 350th District Court.

Modern-day slavery?

According to court documents, Gerardo Quijada-Soto allegedly smuggled Javier Rodriguez-Castro from Honduras to the United States, through Mexico, along with 12 other individuals. They initially crossed the border January 8, 2021.

Rodriguez-Castro was first taken to a stash house in Houston before arriving at Fun Noodle in Abilene. When he entered the restaurant, he reportedly observed a large stack of cash change hands between Quijada-Soto and owner of Fun Noodle, Hai Zhuang.

From that moment on, Rodriguez-Castro was allegedly treated as a modern-day slave. "His passport was thrown into a water heater closet," and he "was forced to work 10-12 hour days," without breaks, according to the complaint filed with the courthouse.

In late summer of 2021, Rodriguez-Castro was able to escape to Dallas where the Texas Attorney General's office and the Human-Trafficking Division were "able to corroborate Javier's (Rodriguez-Castro) treatment during the investigation."

During his more than six months in captivity, Rodriguez-Castro alleges that Zhuang beat him, and that he was forced to eat scraps from customers because he wasn't fed properly.

Consequences of human trafficking

Quijada-Soto, while not associated with Fun Noodle, stands accused of being the mastermind behind this trafficking ring. His trial will be the first of three, unless the two other defendants decide to take a plea bargain with the District Attorney's office.

Gerardo Quijada-Soto stands accused of two counts of human trafficking. According to Assistant District Attorney Erin Stamey, each charge is a second-degree felony with a possible sentence of 2-20 years in prison.

Quijada-Soto is one of three defendants charged with human trafficking in relation to the alleged detention of Rodriguez-Castro against his will. Hai Zhuang and Jiao Peilun have also been charged with one count of human trafficking each.

Quijada-Soto was initially booked into the Taylor County Jail on November 29, 2022, and is being held on a bond of $200,000.

Zhuang, the previous owner of Fun Noodle, was booked November 2, 2022, and released two days later on a $200,000. Jiao, on the other hand, didn't even spend one night in jail. He was booked February 17, 2023, and made bail the same day in the amount of $200,000. Jiao was the previous manager of Fun Noodle.

Jiao's arrest "was made by the Abilene Police Department after a true bill indictment by the Human Trafficking Unit was presented to a Taylor County grand jury," according to an attorney general press release.

Immigration status complications

Quijada-Soto is the only of three defendants in this case who remain in Taylor County Jail, and according to Assistant DA Stamey, he won't be making bail anytime soon.

In an interview with Reporter-News, Stamey said that "immigration has a hold on him (Quijada-Soto)" and that hold is without bail. Quijada-Soto is not an American citizen so if he is convicted and serves a prison sentence, he could then be sent to Border Patrol.

Border Patrol would then make the determination whether or not to deport him back to his country of origin. The other two defendants, Zhuang and Jiao, could face similar circumstances as neither are American citizens, even though they have been here in the country on a legal status.

Reporter-News will be closely following the three defendants and the trial, set to begin March 11 in the 350th District Court.

All suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene's human trafficking case goes to trial