City and state inspectors had documented a lengthy history of health and fire violations before a Jan. 19 visit that led them to close the business.
PERTH AMBOY -- The investigation that led to the arrest of two New York men on human trafficking charges Tuesday began with the discovery of unauthorized immigrants living in an unheated shed behind the Halal slaughterhouse they ran, according to filings in a related civil lawsuit.
Federal agents on Tuesday arrested Mohammad Abdul Wahid and Mohammed Iqbal Kabir in connection with what investigators described in court filings as the forced employment of unauthorized immigrants at their Perth Amboy slaughterhouse.
Abdul Wahid previously had filed a lawsuit against the city and Middlesex County, alleging multiple code enforcement visits that led to the closure of his business -- American Halal Live Poultry -- were a form of discrimination.
But briefs filed by the city and county's lawyers detail what they say was a lengthy history of code and health violations ranging from clouds of flies to fire hazards.
It was an inspectors' final visit, the documents state, that led them to shut the business down for good.
On Jan. 19, the same day Abdul Wahid filed his lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Newark, code inspectors went to the property on Amboy Avenue after a tenant complained of a lack of hot water, according to an opposition brief filed by the city.
In addition to discovering that all of the prior violations remained unresolved, the inspectors found unauthorized immigrants living in a storage shed, and a makeshift kitchen constructed outside a fire door.
After closing the business, city officials referred the workers to Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen, which provided them with housing before contacting Homeland Security Investigations, the criminal investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
John Donnelly, immigration supervisor for the charity, told NJ Advance Media on Friday that when charity representatives met the workers, it was the "coldest day of the year."
"We felt that (the conditions) rose to the level of possible trafficking," Donnelly said, noting his organization contacted Homeland Security Investigations only after getting permission from the workers.
Operators of Halal slaughterhouse charged
The filings state Abdul Wahid threatened some of the workers when they appeared in Perth Amboy Municipal Court to testify on the city's behalf.
Court records show the civil case is scheduled for a status conference on Dec. 21 in front of Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark.
Attempts by NJ Advance Media to reach attorneys for Abdul Wahid, the city and the county were unsuccessful.
Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.