BUFFALO, N.Y. — Police found seven potential victims of sex trafficking and seized more than $81,000 on Tuesday in two separate raids of massage parlors in Buffalo's suburbs, law enforcement officials told 2 On Your Side.
Investigators in Cheektowaga and Depew told 2 On Your Side Investigates they had reason to suspect that Four Seasons Spa at 4776 Broadway in Depew and Little Foot Spa at 4347 Union Rd. in Cheektowaga were offering sexual acts for cash.
Police seized more than $81,000 at the two locations, Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Coons confirmed Wednesday. Investigators said male customers or "johns" paid between $100 and $200 for each sexual act during the few months the spas were operating.
"It tells us that for the short time that they’ve been there, it’s quite a business that they’re doing," Coons said.
Four women were found at the Cheektowaga spa, police said Tuesday, including in apartments adjoining the spa. Three women were found working at the Depew location, Depew Police Capt. John Thomson said in a news release, adding that the building "was converted illegally into makeshift living quarters for the employees."
Police are also looking into whether the spas share a common ownership and whether the owners or operators are involved in a human trafficking operation. Police and prosecutors in other parts of the country have taken down sex trafficking rings that front as legitimate spas.
Police were alerted to the spa’s online ads selling sexual services after a forthcoming 2 On Your Side Investigation found multiple spas operating in Erie County -- including the spas in Cheektowaga and Depew -- that appeared to be offering more than massages. The investigation will be published June 5.
2 On Your Side Investigates conducted surveillance at multiple spas that showed a steady stream of men coming and going from the spas beginning in the late afternoon. Anti-human trafficking experts say an all-male customer base is one indication that possible prostitution and human trafficking may be occurring.
2 On Your Side also found online advertisements for Four Seasons Spa and Little Foot Spa that included sexually suggestive pictures of young Asian women. There are also online reviews of the spas in which customers grade their experience.
"Great massage and a lot more than a 'happy ending!'" one reviewer wrote.
Police say there is nothing "happy" about the conditions that spa sex trafficking victims often find themselves in. Coons said the four suspected victims his investigators found are likely being pressured by those who are allegedly trafficking them.
"Their handlers might (say), 'If you don’t do this, I know where your family lives and I’m going to hurt them," Coons said. "So there’s always some kind of leverage that they’re trying to put on these victims."
Coons said a special unit run by Lt. Emil DeVincentis is working to unravel the larger operation with the hope of filing criminal charges against the operators.
Police urge those who have suspicions of human trafficking in their area to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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