2 women rescued from human trafficking at Bellingham massage parlor

Two human trafficking victims were found and rescued in Bellingham by law enforcement Tuesday morning after police received a search warrant to investigate a massage parlor located near an elementary school.

With assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection, and the Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force (WGDTF), 33 Mansion Mental Massage Spa, located at 1333 Lincoln Street in Bellingham, was raided after months of complaints from concerned residents.

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The massage spa was just across the street from Carl Cozier Elementary School.

1333 Lincoln Street is registered to an owner by the name of Chun-Hsu Chen, according to The Bellingham Herald, who purchased the property in 2019. But, as law enforcement officers raided the massage parlor, no business or massage licenses were found. Several code violations were discovered instead.

Bellingham Police Department officers eventually found two girls in the massage parlor who were believed to be human trafficking victims. The victims were promptly taken away and were provided resources by HSI, according to KIRO 7.

“Several months ago, officers were provided with tips and leads from concerned community members regarding the possible trafficking of females at this location,” Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office stated in a press release. “Online advertisements suggesting females available for commercial sex acts were found on multiple websites advertising this location.”

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No information was provided on whether any arrests were made.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Contributing: KIRO 7

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.