METHUEN, Mass. — The City of Methuem has announced that three spas have been closed after being suspected of operating as fronts for human trafficking.
Methuen Mayor DJ Beauregard said the announcement comes as a result of his newly formed, citywide human trafficking task force.
“Not to sound crass, but get it the hell out of here,” said Beauregard Tuesday night. “It is freaking evil, and that’s how we need to address it. We need to take it seriously, and I hope other cities start to take this on as a cause.”
The mayor said they’ve been fielding complaints from city residents.
He continued, “I don’t think people want to acknowledge this. I think it’s happening everywhere. I’m just convinced of it.”
Beauregard said his task force will target suspected business owners, landlords, and the “Johns” who sought service.
“We are moving aggressively to identify and close these businesses, to crack down on the evildoers who profit from human suffering, and to hold landlords, traffickers, and johns accountable,” said Mayor Beauregard. “The demand created by Johns is what fuels this evil criminal industry, and as Police Chief Scott McNamara indicated previously, we are targeting you next with the full might of the law. Methuen has zero tolerance for human trafficking — period.”
Mayor Beauregard has also directed a citywide assessment by the Department of Health, Human Services, and Inspections of locations suspected of human trafficking.
The three businesses closed include: Oriental Spa, 119 Swan St.; Yellow Lilly Day Spa, 17 Baldwin St., #6; and Lavender Spa, 17 Baldwin St., #7.
The three businesses were closed on Tuesday after inspectors discovered compelling evidence of unlawful habitation within the premises, unlicensed activity, and numerous code violations, such as unpermitted construction, blocked egress, and unsanitary conditions. The three cases were transferred to Methuen Police for investigation.
The closures come just days after two other businesses were closed due to suspected human trafficking. including the Beauty Garden Spa and Eastern Bodywork Therapy.
On Monday, the manager of Beauty Garden Spa, 38-year-old Suping Zhu of Flushing, New York, faced a judge for running a house of prostitution. Later that evening, a second
On Tuesday, Boston 25 News Reporter Bob Ward spoke with Audra Doody, Co-Executive Director for the Worcester-based non-profit Safe Exit Initiative, who is paying close attention to what is happening in Methuen, where the city has closed two spas with suspected ties to human trafficking.
“I’m just happy they are taking this seriously and starting to look into it, because a lot of people are getting hurt by this,” Doody told me.
Safe Exit Initiative reaches out to sex workers by offering them a way out of what they call “The Life.”
Audra Doody is a survivor of “The Life.”
“I don’t think most people choose that lifestyle. It’s a means of survival for most, for the people I work with, for myself. It was not something we chose. It was our vulnerabilities that led us there.”
“Is this a problem limited to the city of Methuen?” I asked Audra Doody.
“No,” she said. “It’s the whole nation. It’s not just Massachusetts, it’s not just the Northeast, it’s everywhere.”
Audra Doody tells me the lesson of Methuen is that no community is safe from human trafficking.
She’s urging police to keep targeting the johns, the people paying for sex
“You’re not going to stop trafficking if people continue to buy people,” she said.
Additional information and details will be released when they become available, as authorities continue to investigate.
Authorities are asking anyone impacted to reach out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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