Man operating southwest Abilene restaurant arrested for human trafficking

A man who operates an Abilene restaurant was arrested on a warrant for human trafficking Wednesday, according to police reports, while court documents state that he allegedly starved a man, refused to pay him and reportedly beat him.

A search warrant was executed at a residence in the 3500 block of Brook Hollow Drive.

Additionally, police learned of a warrant issued for Hai Zhuang, the resident.

According to court documents, the Texas Attorney General's Office Human Trafficking Unit in February received a statement from Javier Rodriguez-Castro about having been brought to the United States from Honduras and being forced into labor in Abilene.

Rodriguez-Castro stated he contacted a man he knows as "Chapin," later identified as Gerardo Quijada-Soto, who smuggled him and 12 other individuals from Honduras by train and on foot through Mexico.

He said they crossed the border at McAllen on Jan. 8, 2021.

Rodriguez-Castro was was taken to a "stash house" in Houston and later transported to Abilene by Quijada-Soto, according to reports.

When Rodriguez-Castro arrived in Abilene, he was taken to Fun Noodle restaurant, according to court documents.

At the restaurant, which is at 4325 Southwest Drive, Rodriguez-Castro reportedly saw Quijada-Soto and a man later identified as Hai Zhuang exchange a large stack of money consisting of $100 and $50 bills.

Rodriguez-Castro was told he owed six months of labor and then he would be paid $2,000 a month.

He also was told that he would be fed and provided shelter, but to "buy some noodles in the event they forgot to feed him," according to the documents. He was reportedly transported back and forth to the restaurant and the house.

He was not allowed to leave the house alone, was forced to work 10-12 hour days without a break − even to go to the bathroom, documents state.

Rodriguez-Castro was not fed regularly and had to eat scraps customers left at the restaurant, the reports say.

He also was allegedly beaten by Zhuang.

After six months, Rodriguez-Castro requested his $2,000 for the month and was told that by Zhuang that they "owned him now," reports state.

In July or August, 2021, he was able to escape to Dallas via an unknown male.

The Texas Attorney General's Office was able to corroborate his statement during the investigation.

The office located the stash house in Houston, the house in Abilene where Javier was held and the white van that Rodriguez-Castro described that Zhuang used to transport him, court documents state.

According to Taylor County Jail records, Zhuang is charged with second degree felony trafficking of a person, with a bond of $200,000.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Man operating south Abilene restaurant arrested for human trafficking