Harris County seeks to shut down massage parlor after 2 prostitution arrests - Chron.com

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By Dana Guthrie, Chron.com / Houston Chronicle

Published 9:08 am, Thursday, July 27, 2017

Photo: Harris County Pct. 4 Constable


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Ping G Du was arrested and charged with Class B misdemeanor prostitution after a July 24, 2017 undercover sting at LL Spa, 11045 Huffmeister Road.


Ping G Du was arrested and charged with Class B misdemeanor prostitution after a July 24, 2017 undercover sting at LL Spa, 11045 Huffmeister Road.

Photo: Harris County Pct. 4 Constable

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Shu-Chen Deng was arrested and charged with Class B misdemeanor prostitution after a July 24, 2017 undercover sting at LL Spa, 11045 Huffmeister Road.


Shu-Chen Deng was arrested and charged with Class B misdemeanor prostitution after a July 24, 2017 undercover sting at LL Spa, 11045 Huffmeister Road.

Photo: Harris County Pct. 4 Constable

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Ping G Du and Shu-Chen Deng were both arrested and charged with Class B misdemeanor prostitution after a July 24, 2017 undercover sting at LL Spa, 11045 Huffmeister Road.

Keep clicking for facts about sex and human trafficking in the Houston area.

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Ping G Du and Shu-Chen Deng were both arrested and charged with Class B misdemeanor prostitution after a July 24, 2017 undercover sting at LL Spa, 11045 Huffmeister Road.

Keep clicking for facts about sex and

... more
Photo: Harris County Pct. 4 Constable

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EXPLAINER: 16 things you need to know about human trafficking in Houston

Houston has long been known as a major hub for human and sex trafficking. This is what you need to know about the criminal industry.


EXPLAINER: 16 things you need to know about human trafficking in Houston

Houston has long been known as a major hub for human and sex trafficking. This is what you need to know about the criminal industry.


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1. Houston a major player:
The Houston region is a major sex and human trafficking hub given its size, proximity to the border and large immigrant population, according to officials.

Hortencia Medeles is pictured, April 13, 2015 for the first day of her trial on charges she led a sex-trafficking ring.

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1. Houston a major player:
The Houston region is a major sex and human trafficking hub given its size, proximity to the border and large immigrant population, according to officials.

Hortencia Medeles is

... more
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

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2.Fast growing:
Sex trafficking is the fastest-growing aspect of organized crime, according to a 2014 DPS report, and U.S. gangs as well as Mexican drug cartels are now taking control of much of the action.

Fugitive Alfonso Diaz-Juarez, who is charged in Houston for his alleged role in a sex-trafficking ring, is pictured.

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2.Fast growing:
Sex trafficking is the fastest-growing aspect of organized crime, according to a 2014 DPS report, and U.S. gangs as well as Mexican drug cartels are now taking control of much of the

... more
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle

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3. No way to tally victims:
Officials concede there is no telling how many people have been trafficked into Texas and made slaves, but the foreign victims generally come from Mexico, Central America and Asia.

3. No way to tally victims:
Officials concede there is no telling how many people have been trafficked into Texas and made slaves, but the foreign victims generally come from Mexico, Central America and Asia.

Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle

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4. Shocking depth:
"The depth and breadth of the different subtypes of human trafficking are shocking," said Bradley Myles, head of the Washington D.C.-based Polaris Project, which runs a trafficking hotline. "In Houston, for example, we've seen reported cases of trafficking in brothels, door to door sales crews, domestic work and in street-based commercial sex."

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4. Shocking depth:
"The depth and breadth of the different subtypes of human trafficking are shocking," said Bradley Myles, head of the Washington D.C.-based Polaris Project, which runs a trafficking hotline.

... more

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5. Slaves:
"It is absolutely modern day slavery," said Shauna Dunlap, spokeswoman for the FBI's Houston Division. "These people are being forced into labor or prostitution against their will. "They end up in bars, nail salons, restaurants, massage parlors, private homes and countless other places.”

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5. Slaves:
"It is absolutely modern day slavery," said Shauna Dunlap, spokeswoman for the FBI's Houston Division. "These people are being forced into labor or prostitution against their will. "They end up in

... more

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6. Victims hide in plain sight:
Brian Moskowitz, head of Homeland Security Investigation’s Houston Division, said that one of the greatest challenges of trafficking is that victims blend in with the rest of the city. "This is hidden in plain sight," he said. "We can only see what we can see."

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6. Victims hide in plain sight:
Brian Moskowitz, head of Homeland Security Investigation’s Houston Division, said that one of the greatest challenges of trafficking is that victims blend in with the rest of

... more

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7.Minors forced into selling sex:
The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12 to 14, according to one study, notes the Texas Department of Public Safety.Stilettos, a cell phone and other belongings sit on the table of a Houston cantina raided by authorities for suspected ties to human trafficking, sex trafficking and related-prostitution.

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7.Minors forced into selling sex:
The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12 to 14, according to one study, notes the Texas Department of Public Safety.Stilettos, a cell phone and

... more

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8. Victims snared with social media:
Human and sex traffickers are increasingly active on social media, which they use to target victims and advertise to customers, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

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8. Victims snared with social media:
Human and sex traffickers are increasingly active on social media, which they use to target victims and advertise to customers, according to the Texas Department of Public

... more

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10. Gang ties:
Members and associates of multiple gangs have been reported to be involved in sex trafficking operations in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. “These include Barrio Azteca, Black Gangster Disciples, Bloods, Crips, Mara Salvatrucha, Sureños, and Tango Blast. Gangs and gang members are attracted to the lucrative nature of this activity due to the potential for large and renewable profits and the perceived lower risk of detection,” notes a DPS report.

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10. Gang ties:
Members and associates of multiple gangs have been reported to be involved in sex trafficking operations in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. “These include Barrio

... more
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

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11. Cartel ties:
Mexican cartels facilitate, control, or benefit from nearly all human smuggling activity along the Texas-Mexico border, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

11. Cartel ties:
Mexican cartels facilitate, control, or benefit from nearly all human smuggling activity along the Texas-Mexico border, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

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13. Some victims start out willingly:
“In some cases, the victims of sex trafficking initially voluntarily and willingly travel with and engage in prostitution for a trafficker, but are eventually forced to continue working against their will, held captive, and have their access to food, friends, and family restricted by the trafficker,” according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

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13. Some victims start out willingly:
“In some cases, the victims of sex trafficking initially voluntarily and willingly travel with and engage in prostitution for a trafficker, but are eventually forced to

... more
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle

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14.Victims kept under control for years:
Traffickers keep their victims under their control by making victims dependent on them for food, shelter, supplying drug habits, and restricting their access to communication with friends and family.

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14.Victims kept under control for years:
Traffickers keep their victims under their control by making victims dependent on them for food, shelter, supplying drug habits, and restricting their access to

... more
Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle

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15. Tied to children:
Approximately 100,000 children are estimated to be in the sex trade in the United States each year, according to the Polaris Project, a US nongovernmental organization that studies human trafficking.13 In 2013, Texas ranked second in the nation with 2,236 incoming tips (calls, emails, tip forms) received by the Polaris Project’s National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) for human trafficking tips.

Cheryl Briggs, 53, a former trafficking victim and founder of My Daughter's Home, a facility in the greater Houston area dedicated to helping women who have been trafficked for sex, shows the six-bed facilit.

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15. Tied to children:
Approximately 100,000 children are estimated to be in the sex trade in the United States each year, according to the Polaris Project, a US nongovernmental organization that studies human

... more
Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle

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16. Escape is tough:
Many traffickers physically and sexually assault their victims and threaten to assault or kill their family members if the victims attempt to escape. In some cases, they deliberately drug them, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Investigator Charles Cornelius points to an escape hatch in the fence surrounding Houston's La Costellita cantina, which was linked to sex trafficking,

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16. Escape is tough:
Many traffickers physically and sexually assault their victims and threaten to assault or kill their family members if the victims attempt to escape. In some cases, they deliberately drug

... more
Photo: Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commiss

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Harris County seeks to shut down massage parlor after 2 prostitution arrests


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Harris County investigators are hoping to shut down a Cypress massage parlor after constable's deputies made two prostitution arrests at the site on July 24.


The investigation began with complaints from the public about prostitution and possible human trafficking at the LL Spa, 11045 Huffmeister Road, Harris County Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman's office said in a report.


WACO STING: Undercover operation results in 9 prostitution arrests


Undercover investigators went to the site, and two suspects offered sexual acts to the investigators in exchange for money, according to officials.


Ping G Du and Shu-Chen Deng were both arrested and charged with Class B misdemeanor prostitution, the constable's office said. Investigators said they did not find evidence of human trafficking.


"In addition to the criminal charges, civil penalties are being sought by Harris County in order to close the illicit massage parlor down permanently," Herman said.


Anyone may report prostitution or other unlawful activities in Herman's jurisdiction through this page at www.constablepct4.com. Complainants have the option to remain anonymous.


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