Human trafficking continues to be an issue all across the country. There's no exception in Washoe County.

2 News Nevada reported earlier this week that two more illegal massage parlors were shut down. The last known in Sparks.

Now, sights are being set on the Biggest Little City.

"There's still several in Reno that we're actively investigating, currently looking into, and we're kind of taking this more overt approach," said an undercover HEAT detective, who wanted to keep their identity secret.

The Regional Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) unit says these illegal businesses have been around for a while.

"They've been able to operate for quite some time," the detective said. "Kind of just under the radar. This is kind of the first major push in getting the spotlight on them."

The unit has officers with the Reno Police Department, Sparks Police Department, and Washoe County School District Police.

Typically, investigations either start with a tip from a community member or through a prostitution advertisement. 

The officer says that there are a lot of approaches they can take to try to prove that what happens at these businesses are not offering massages.

"The illicit massage business is huge," the detective said. "It's global. Nationally, there's about 15,000 illicit massage businesses throughout all 50 states."

To paint a picture, the undercover officer said that in New York, for every Starbucks location in the city, there are two illegal massage parlors.

The detective shares that there are a lot of complications with these investigations. One is making sure there is plenty of evidence to build up in a case.

The unit's main priority is the victim, and shutting down the business is one of the best methods they can use to protect them.

"We want to get the businesses shut down as fast as possible, whatever means that is, because I can continue my criminal investigation after a business is closed," they said.

The detective says that once the business is closed, they can offer the victim help and services. It's ultimately up to them if they want to accept them.

Oftentimes, the head of the snake, the people in the top position, is not even in the country.

"The way they're organized and connected globally is a challenge because of jurisdiction issues," the officer said.

The detective says the Washoe County area is a hotbed for this activity due to its freeways and the fact that Reno is often referred to as a 24-hour city.

There are two state laws that they think are also playing a factor. The officer says that with prostitution being legal in other counties in Nevada, many think it's legal in the whole state.

It is illegal in Washoe County.

Another is that the age of consent in Nevada is 16 years old. The detective says that many think it's okay to purchase 16-and 17-year-old kids for sex, but it is still illegal.

"The child exploitation is everywhere because of the internet," the HEAT detective said.

The officer says they're seeing an uptick in trafficking and pandering in the area.

2 News Nevada previously reported on the undercover sting operation in October that arrested 13 people, including a former RPD Deputy Chief.

However, that's another issue the officer says does not seem to go away.

"The sad reality is we could probably do these every day and get a significant number," they said.

The HEAT detective said that the community is one of the unit's biggest assets.

"We've been getting increasingly more busy," they said. "I think because of the awareness that seems to be increasing, we're getting, like I said before, a lot, a lot more tips and information from the community, which has helped with investigations."