Posted on 06/18/2004 1:37:48 AM PDT by sarcasm
BELLEVUE -- Customers looking for sexual pleasure at legitimate massage parlors here have triggered the closure of two businesses that are accused of being fronts for prostitution, Bellevue police said yesterday.
In the investigations, which involved the Eastside Narcotics Task Force and spanned months, nine people were arrested, including at least one mail-order bride, illegal Chinese immigrants, U.S. citizens and two men in the Chinese army.
Bellevue police spokesman Michael Chiu said starting in December, police received tips, including letters, from at least one legitimate massage business in the Northup Way area.
Customers reportedly inquired about services beyond the normal rubdown.
The Dragon Springs massage parlor, which police raided in March, was near the legitimate business in a semi-industrial business park on Northup Way.
Police showed up in April at a second business, Heaven and Earth Massage, on Northeast 10th Street.
In the crackdown, police nabbed a Seattle man, 40; a Houston man, 35; and a Portland man, 33. Among the six women arrested were a 44-year-old Bellevue resident, who police say was a madam; a 33-year-old from Houston; and two Southern California residents.
The suspected prostitutes lived at both Bellevue locations, police said.
The women would fly in and out of the Seattle area, work here for up to three weeks and leave for other U.S. cities. While they were in Bellevue, they apparently were not allowed to leave the businesses.
Chiu said the mail-order bride entered the United States and filed for divorce.
The police raids, including those at key suspects' homes, turned up expensive cars, boats and $90,000. Tens of thousands of dollars also had been wired to China, Chiu said.
Yesterday, near the Northup Way business, Richard Amador, owner of Sugee's Box Lunch Co., said one of his female customers entered the parlor months ago to investigate.
Her report: No one spoke English. There were no visible signs. There was no printed information. But there were lots of doors.
A businessman, who asked not to be named, said that last month he talked with the suspected owner, who told him that he wanted to start a car service in the space but opened a massage parlor first because it was easier to do so.
Hmmm... you would think in liberal Seattle, brothels are the last thing they'd worry about there.
A local Cincinnati paper, City Beat, has an adult section that advertises for "massage parlors". A couple months ago they ran an ad with my home office phone number (typo). I finally had to turn the ringer off. The darn phone was ringing day and night. I kept waiting for the vice squad to show up and bust me. Occasionally I still get a call.
LOL, my husband can't see that either.
LOL... I should have meant prostitute. No, I see can't you going outside marriage for satisfaction either!
"and two men in the chinese army"
Maybe they had ties to the World Trade Organization.
Thats what redlight districts are for.Boys will be boys or maybe girls will be girls now days.Probably the only excitement the town had for a while.
Okay, sarcasm, since you asked for it...this one is a humor ping...of sorts!
foh clying ou roud, wheah is a a guy on reave to go? No fun this town. OBTW, can you sell me some missir technorogy?
Profound thangs,
Pvt. Wong Wei
CHICOM Specier Folces
Like it happens everyday. Were these guys in full uniform?
They say something like, 'We rooking for the plesident. We have special plesant onry fol the plesident. He no rive in Washington? Oh, Washington, D.C., so solly.'
Did these guys just walk across from Canaduh, or did China finally dig a tunnel to the U.S. mainland? 8^(
Maybe Taiwanese. The Libpress would call both simply Chinese.
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