Fox News had exclusive access to an operation with the Austin Police Department aimed at dismantling human trafficking networks operating under the guise of Chinese massage parlors.
A commanding voice boomed over a loudspeaker, announcing, “Austin Police! Search warrant! Come out with your hands up,” as detectives from the Human Trafficking Division entered the premises of one such illegal establishment.
Inside, signs advertised typical spa services, with one ironically cautioning against human trafficking. Yet, the unsettling atmosphere hinted at something far more sinister. The rooms were cluttered with mattresses, towels, and makeshift shower beds, painting a stark picture of the conditions within.
Meanwhile, a second raid took place at another nearby illicit massage parlor, where officers discovered a woman asleep and evidence suggesting others were living there. Detectives gathered crucial items linked to trafficking activities, including cash and various documents.
An officer from the Austin Police Department on duty. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
These operations were part of a broader initiative known as “Operation Coast to Coast,” which brought together over 150 law enforcement agencies nationwide, with coordinated efforts in states such as Texas, North Carolina, California, Missouri, and New York.
The focus was the illicit massage industry, which serves as a major human trafficking hub and moneymaker for Chinese organized crime networks.
Nationwide, more than 30 people were arrested or detained for trafficking and related charges, and more than 60 victims were rescued and offered services. According to officials, the youngest victim was just 14 and was trafficked through escort sites and forced to service more than 10 men a day. Her suspected trafficker was arrested during the operation.
This operation was coordinated by the Human Trafficking Center, the founder’s fourth time bringing various agencies from across the country together.
The Austin Police Department participated in a crackdown on illicit massage parlors as part of “Operation Coast to Coast.” (Brooke Taylor)
“About half of the agencies that we deal with will go after the illicit massage business industry, which is the fastest growing of all trafficking in America,” Dan Nash, the founder of the Human Trafficking Training Center, said.
“It is all Chinese organized crime. And all this is going right back to China. All the money’s going back to China. The victims are coming over here from China. Most of these states are like, ‘How are we allowing Chinese organized crime to do all this trafficking in America? Let’s stop it.’ And we are coming together to stop it.”
Lt. John Brooks with the Austin Police Department emphasized that the work goes beyond dismantling criminal networks; it’s about recurring victims from exploitation.
“Quite often, they are victimized, forced, coerced, threatened in some way,” Lt. Brooks said. “Their passports withheld, their families threatened, they themselves are threatened or get hooked on some sort of drug.
Lt. Brooks said his department takes a victim-centered approach, with on-site victim service counselors. The toughest challenge, he said, is getting victims to realize there are options and resources to help.
The Austin Police Department Headquarters in Austin, Texas, June 18, 2021. (Reuters/Mikala Compton)
“What goes through my head when I come into a place like this and see all these beds, I am thinking what these poor women must have gone through,” Lt. Brooks said.
A national nonprofit organization, the Safe House Project, is also involved in the operation to make sure victims get the help and resources they need. The CEO and founder, Kristi Wells says it served over 1,500 human trafficking victims last year, and it is on track to serve more than 3,000 victims this year.
“We help survivors as they are looking to exit their trafficking situation, and we help make sure that, in those 10 seconds of insane courage, when they look to escape, that they have the resources that they need to receive all of the care and support to rebuild a life,” Wells said.
“We work with the individual to understand their individual situation, and we work to match them with the best safe home in the country that is equipped to meet those individualized needs.”
