NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, Texas — Three Wisconsin residents suspected of human trafficking were arrested this week after East Texas deputies found a 8-year-old child and multiple packages filled with drugs next to the child during a traffic stop.
Luis Emmanuel Quevedo-Vasquez, 29, Carmen Guadalupe Diaz, 24, and Christina Soledad Soler, 32, all of Green Bay, were taken into custody Tuesday when a deputy pulled Diaz over for speeding Tuesday night near the intersection of Durst Street and Stallings Drive in Nacogdoches.
The sheriff's office said Diaz and Quevedo-Vasquez were traveling together in a black 2009 BMW and deputies located the 8-year-old child sleeping in the rear seat.
During a search of the vehicle, deputies located an empty alcoholic beverage can on the floor board and a duffle bag with a loaded AR-style pistol and several packages of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin near where the child was.
According to Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office, deputies found 5.37 pounds of cocaine, 2.23 pounds of meth and 3.21 pounds of heroin in the bag. The drugs have an estimated value of over $150,000.
When asked about the child, Diaz and Quevedo-Vasquez could not give a last name or the name of the child’s mother. After asking Wisconsin authorities, Soler was identified as the child's guardian, the sheriff's office said.
"With the help of Wisconsin law enforcement agencies, Soler was contacted, at which point she told deputies she was only a few hours away from Nacogdoches. Soler arrived at the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, and had five additional children in the vehicle with her," the press release stated.
Information from the investigation made deputies think the child traveling with Diaz and Quevedo-Vasquez was used to "mask the drug smuggling operation." All six children have been released to Child Protective Services while a suitable guardian is found, according to the NCSO.
Quevedo-Vasquez, Diaz and Soler are all charged with:
- Engaging in organized criminal activity
- Trafficking of persons
- Abandoning/endangering a child
Quevedo-Vasquez had given a false identity, and they learned he had an outstanding warrant in Wisconsin for a violent offense.
Soler was also charged with a possession of a controlled substance. Diaz and Quevedo-Vasquez are each charged with possession of a controlled substance charges, unlawful carrying of a weapon. Quevedo-Vasquez is also charged with failure to identify.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer was placed on Quevedo-Vasquez for him being in the country illegally. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible.