METHUEN, Mass. — Police shut down a Methuen massage parlor and arrested the alleged manager Friday on human trafficking and prostitution charges.
Police say two women working at Beauty Garden Spa on Wallace Street were living in the basement of the commercially zoned building and performing sex acts for clients.
After receiving complaints from residents, Methuen police launched an investigation including undercover work and resulting in a search warrant executed on Sept. 4.
Last Friday, Suping Zhu, 38, of Flushing, N.Y., was arrested on charges of Deriving Support from Prostitution, Keeper of a House of Ill Fame and Trafficking Person for Sexual Servitude.
Neighbor Beth Foote told Boston 25 News she and her neighbors had been documenting the activity across the street for about two years, providing pictures and license plates to police and other city departments.
“I came into my neighborhood, and my neighbor down the street is like, ‘Hey, this is finally happening!’” Foote said of the bust earlier in the month. “The neighborhood has been very good making sure there’s good documentation about who has been here.”
Foote shared photos with Boston 25 News showing what she says were buses that dropped off women carrying suitcases as well as out-of-state cars carrying supplies for the women living there.
“This is a small neighborhood. We’re very, very close,” Foote said. “We knew that they were living downstairs… We saw them coming out every month, every two months, every couple of weeks. There would be a new group of girls coming in, and they were very blatant about it. They put them in these buses, and they brought them in and brought them out.”
Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara said in a statement the department is committed to charging others involved in the alleged operation as they continue to investigate.
“To the ‘johns’ fueling this despicable trade, know this: you are not invisible, and we are targeting you next with the full might of the law,” McNamara said. “Human trafficking and sexual servitude are not victimless crimes. They exploit the vulnerable, destroy lives, and poison our community. We will relentlessly pursue every perpetrator to ensure they face justice.”
While Foote believes the bust is positive for her neighborhood, she said her heart breaks for the women involved.
“Did I think twice about reporting it? Yeah, I did,” Foote said. “Because quite frankly, those women are not here because this is what their dream was. They’re here because they got caught up in something they couldn’t control.”
Methuen police said they worked on the case with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, Lawrence Police Department, Essex County District Attorney’s Office, and the Internal Revenue Service.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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