Santa Cruz massage parlors under investigation for human trafficking
The Santa Cruz Police Department is investigating possible human trafficking at multiple massage parlors.
Investigators cited four Chinese women in four separate businesses for soliciting an act of prostitution. The women are 50, 44, 30 and 42-years-old.
“When officers went into the massage parlors they were solicited for acts, sex acts for money,” said Santa Cruz Police Public Information Officer, Joyce Blaschke.
The businesses include Lucky Valley Health Center (827 Water St.), Asian Massage (212 Fern St.), Health Care Massage (223 River St.), and Golden Bay Spa (551 Frederick St.).
Undercover officers with the Santa Cruz Police Department Neighborhood Enforcement Team visited all four businesses. All four women who were cited offered to perform sex acts in exchange for money during the massage.
The Santa Cruz Police Department said it’s not uncommon for these incidents to be part of a larger human trafficking operation. Human trafficking advocates, including Monarch Services, accompanied the undercover officers to offer their services for help.
“Typically these are victims of human trafficking who have been coursed, threatened or brought into this country with promises of working and instead they are forced into the sex trade,” said Laura Segura of Monarch Services.
Monarch Services is working to help those women. As for the four massage parlors, they said they didn’t know their employees were offering sex in exchange for money. The investigation now goes to the district attorney’s office. In the meantime, the police department said the businesses remain open.
