Three Kennewick massage parlors have been shut down and three women accused of human trafficking were arrested after a series of raids Thursday. Kennewick police raided businesses on Gage Boulevard and Clearwater Avenue after receiving tips about the locations in January, Sgt. Ryan Kelly told the Tri-City Herald.
Detectives went to the businesses undercover. They left when they were offered sexual services, and police went into the business. They arrested three women running the operations under city ordinances for prostitution and violations of massage licenses or certifications.
Xirong Liu, 55, Sunshine Massage owner at W. Gage Boulevard. Hongliu Deng, 34, Genesis Spa manager at W. Clearwater Ave. Yangiu Wang, Lotus Massage manager at W. Neither of the businesses had applied for a business license from the city. Two suspected trafficking victims who are women from China were found at the businesses. Mirror Ministries, a faith-based non-profit that helps victims of human trafficking, provided a translator and worked with the women.
Both women accepted help. There are ongoing investigations into human trafficking on a statewide level, but the city is limited in what it can do. Often these businesses swap owners and managers before reopening. For example, it is the second time that the Lotus Massage location has been the focus of an investigation. Previously it operated under the name ShangriLa Massage, and was shut down as part of a May operation. In that operation, Kennewick investigators accompanied Department of Health inspectors as they checked six locations.
Four were found to be engaged in human trafficking. The other two had license violations. This came months after police assisted with a Chelan County investigation where a business owner operated at least one illicit massage parlor in Kennewick. These investigations prompted city officials to create new codes aimed at giving the police more power to shut down illicit massage businesses. Investigators rely on community members to report the suspicious businesses to them, Kelly said.
