CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- The crackdown against illegal massage businesses in Chesterfield County continues after police arrested another group of employees for illicit sex acts.
The new arrests now add to 11 total businesses where police have made arrests since February 2024.
Over the last week, police arrested 7 employees from five different massage businesses on 22 charges during undercover operations.
Detectives say they plan to bring more charges related to these businesses because the county now requires a permit for all massage therapists.
Chesterfield Police made the latest arrests at the following massage parlors:
- Sunshine Health Massage on Wadsworth Drive
- Lucky Star Leisure Center on Chester Road
- XL Massage on Midlothian Turnpike
- Coca Spa on North Courthouse Road
- Aura Massage on Waterford Place
Those arrested face a range of charges from prostitution, providing illegal massages without a permit, staying in a place associated with illicit activities, and operating without a massage license.
Police say some of the employees arrested have ties to the New York area or have no address on file.
This is in line with past massage business arrests where most people who were arrested had ties to Flushing, a neighborhood in New York City's Queens borough.
According to CBS News, the NYPD is aware that Flushing is home to massage businesses involved in brothels and sex trafficking.
Chesterfield Police will be making these arrests along with the Virginia Capital Area Human Trafficking Task Force, a group that includes local police agencies and Virginia State Police. The group is dedicated to identifying potentially trafficked people they can connect to resources.
“Some of them are being forced to do that labor," a Chesterfield police officer said. "Some are being forced to do the illicit sexual acts because they hold family members and other things back home as retribution."
The task force visited other businesses but did not bring up any charges in those cases.
If you would like to anonymously report a tip you can do so by texting 847411.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
SHARE on social media to SPREAD the WORD!
