Woman charged with human trafficking at Des Moines massage parlor, three victims rescued

The Des Moines Police Department Vice and Narcotics Control Section concluded a months-long investigation into a massage parlor on Hull Avenue in Des Moines. One Des Moines woman was arrested on three human trafficking charges and three victims were rescued.

An investigation began in January this year after reports of suspicious activity at a massage parlor located at 852 Hull Ave. in Des Moines, according to a news release from the Des Moines Police Department. Investigators executed a search warrant at the business on Wednesday.

Huirong Zhou, 42, of Des Moines, was arrested as a result of the search and is currently being held in the Polk County Jail.

The three victims were found at the time of the search.

"Polk County Victims Services is assisting with safe housing, and connecting the victims with support and recovery services," according to the news release.

Investigators also found evidence indicating forced labor and commercial sexual activity, the release said. More than $80,000 was seized.

In 2016, concerns were raised about the spread of massage parlors popping up across the state, citing a parlor at the same address named Asian Tuina. It reportedly offered acupressure and reflexology from "pretty girls" and offers "free table showers" behind curtained stalls.

Then, in 2019, a parlor operating at the same location under a different name was one of the subject of a three-part series from Register Watchdog Lee Rood, where customers recorded audio from massages at locations that had been the subject of numerous reviews on a website in which paid subscribers compare erotic massage and “happy endings.”

The investigation into Asian Tuina is ongoing.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for theRegister. Reach him at kwerner@demreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Woman charged with trafficking after victims rescued at massage parlor