Detectives raid Twin Oriental Massage Therapy in human trafficking ... - Waco Tribune-Herald

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McLennan County authorities raided a Waco massage business Tuesday afternoon in connection to a yearlong undercover human trafficking investigation, Sheriff Parnell McNamara said.

Detectives with the McLennan County Sheriff's Office executed at least two search warrants at Twin Oriental Massage Therapy, 1537 Wooded Acres Drive, at about 2 p.m., and at a local apartment, McNamara said. Through an undercover investigation that has spanned more than a year, detectives were able to uncover evidence of human trafficking at the local massage business, he said.

Two women were detained at the business while authorities executed the second search warrant at a Waco residence.

McNamara said neither woman speaks English, and officers worked with translators and believe the women are victims, not perpetrators. UnBound Waco, a local nonprofit, is working to provide the women with resources.

Authorities also seized cash from the business.

"Some of these women are trying to live the American Dream, but they are put into some of these massage parlors and are basically trafficked for sex," McNamara said. "The investigation is still ongoing, and it is a little too early to say much more."

Last year, local and federal authorities raided two Waco-area massage parlors in connection to an ongoing human trafficking investigation. A 44-year-old man was later arrested in that investigation, accused of harboring four women at the local businesses and using them in a sex-trafficking operation.

McNamara said it is too early to determine if Tuesday's raid is connected to last year's investigation.


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