Seven Chinese nationals, all women believed to be victims of human sex trafficking, were discovered during undercover raids at three Colorado Springs massage parlors on Thursday. Two people were arrested.
The raids, conducted jointly by Homeland Security Investigations, the Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Springs police, were part of the execution of seven search warrants and two arrest warrants, according to Trooper Josh Lewis.
The operations and arrests are part of ongoing efforts by law enforcement in Colorado Springs to locate and eradicate human trafficking operations located throughout the city and southern Colorado, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The raids all happened about 11 a.m. Thursday. A law enforcement official said the operations were undertaken at spas called Just Relax 2, Oriental Energy and Golden Phoenix.
A man, Jianxin Wu, 51, and a woman, Jie Liu, 45, were arrested on suspicion of human sex trafficking, a felony.
Both are being held at the El Paso County jail in lieu of $100,000 bond and have also been charged with pimping, money laundering, keeping a place of prostitution and pandering, court records show.
“At this point, certain bank accounts have been frozen and the investigation is ongoing,” Lewis said.
In late August, officials raided two other massage parlors in Colorado Springs, netting three arrests and leading to the recovery of two women suspected to be the victims of human trafficking.
Federal, state and local authorities also arrested a number of women on suspicion of human trafficking in December 2013 and over several months in early 2014 as part of the culmination of a seven-month investigation into massage parlors in southern Colorado.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
