Recently, local law enforcement shut down a massage parlor in Sparks, the Shanghai Spa. The multi-month and multi-agency investigation revealed illicit and illegal activities in the business.
"We were able to encounter 'Johns' or purchasers of sex and to review them," said Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan. "They admitted that, yes, in fact, they were paying for sexual acts and sex."
Law enforcement is concerned about exploitation with these types of investigations, as the illicit massage industry is one of the largest sex trafficking markets in the country.
"The City of Sparks is always going to take a hard stand against women getting exploited and also illegal activity within our city," said Duncan. "We're really concerned about the growing number of illegal massage businesses that are operating throughout Washoe County."
In this most recent case, the Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit, or HEAT, spent the last several months looking into the mentioned parlor. They report that they found advertisements and reviews for sexual services online.
Chris Johnson, the Public Information Officer at the Reno Police Department, tells us, "These types of investigations take a while. They're not done overnight. To make sure these massage parlors no longer operate within the Reno/Sparks area, and the victims involved are able to get resources and help if they need it."
Investigators say this is a growing issue in our community, with an increasing number of illicit parlors operating in Washoe County. The HEAT team has closed four in the last year and will continue to investigate the dangerous illegal activity.
"These investigations, they do take a lot of time," said Johnson. "They are aware of several different massage parlors that are operating illicitly within the Reno/Sparks area. They are currently looking into several additional ones, with more investigations that are occurring."
Law enforcement tells us another parlor, the Lotus Massage, has also closed, with the owner contacting the city of Reno to pull their business license. It is reported that Lotus is owned by the same party as the Shanghai Spa.
