Three Atascadero massage parlors targeted in prostitution sting

April 12, 2019

Qin Guifang

Atascadero police, along with San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office investigators, served search warrants on Wednesday at three massage parlors in the North County city that are suspected of offering sex acts to customers and possibly being involved in human trafficking. [Cal Coast Times]

Following complaints about suspected prostitution and possible human trafficking, multiple agencies conducted an investigation into Atascadero massage parlors. Over several months, Atascadero police teamed up with San Luis Obispo police and the district attorney’s Human Trafficking Task Force to conduct code compliance checks and undercover operations at numerous massage parlors in Atascadero.

On Wednesday, investigators served warrants at three massage parlors in the 7000 and 8000 blocks of El Camino Real — Phoenix Massage, Happy Day Massage, and Zen Massage. Officers arrested one person, 39-year-old Qin Guifang, on an outstanding warrant.

Atascadero police are forwarding the case to the district attorney’s office and recommending prostitution charges against Guifang. Authorities also cited two of the businesses for labor and insurance code violations and yellow-tagged one location for building code violations relating to safety.

Police say they have not yet confirmed whether the massages parlors targeted in the investigation have been involved in human trafficking. Still, police sought help from the DA’s office in providing services like counseling and emergency housing to human trafficking victims, should they be identified.


Loading...
20 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Where will city staff recreate and relax now


Would Jesus arrest a prostitute?


So if she had a film crew and called it a porno it would all be on the up and up in the state of Ca.. I’m a retired police officer and these so called morality crimes are a ridiculous waste of police time.


You have that right. They just make for a good photo op and some front page exposure for the politicians to boast about. There are a lot more serious things going on than this.


Your analogy is faulty. Porn stars are not slaves. Prostitutes in New Zealand and The Netherlands are not slaves. The Chinese women in all of the “massage” parlors popping up are the victims of human trafficking.


No they are trying for the golden ring of citizenship and all the freebeeies they can handle ….They were doing prostitution in their home country before sneaking over to USA


How do you know this?


You have ZERO proof that Porn stars aren’t slaves. You have ZERO proof that ANY of the women are trafficked Humans. Obviously it’s a terrible issue and needs to be stopped but if the politicians would stop the make everything illegal drama we’d have less criminals taking advantage. And, yes, there are legitimate concerns and yes, there IS human trafficking but to say something as if you have the facts is ridiculous.


So who did the “research” on these places?


Cant believe they closed 3 businesses that can actually make money in a hard scrabble place like that. What about the taxes . City employee pensions?


If they legalized marijuana that has a record of violence and crime associated wit it then certainly one would think that legal prostitution will be the next legal action taken by our politicians. Imagine the taxes they could make off of it? Between marijuana and prostitution taxes government employees should be the happiest that they could be and we may even get a couple pot holes filled.


a man goes to a massage parlor and wants to relax,. you can touch ANY PLACE ON HIM but, in a closed room with no one there if the masseuse touches his penis, Boom! they can both be locked in a cell and face an expensive trial. so, it has to be sneaky and THAT makes it so only the bold and crooked attempt.


I can take a woman out, buy her dinner, the movies, a car, a dress, Mink, flowers. I can spend the night with her,. sex all night long, things that make you blush admitting but, if I offer $1.00 in appreciation. Off to the dungeon!


The Trafficking is a thousand times more worrisome than the prostitution,


Thanks. I feel much safer now. Is it too late to be a policeman? Sounds like a line of work that gets a lot of action, if you know what I mean. “Hey Friday, do you want to investigate massage parlors or go after meth dealers and gang bangers?” Easy answer.


If we’d just legalize and regulate prostitution, there would not be as much of an issue with sex trafficking. I was recently in Portugal and New Zealand, both of which have legalized prostitution, and I never saw prostitutes on the street or any seedy looking places of sex work.


Our puritan ways here in America exacerbate the problems.


Lae enforcement needs to stop wasting time on consensual acts between two adults. What a waste of police resources. Just this morning I had fruit thrown at me at the SLO post office steps by a violent looking homeless person. No police on the streets of downtown SLO anymore, violent homeless doing as they wish–I suppose they are also busy planning their own massage parlor sting.


‘Seattle is Dying’ should be required viewing for every City Councilman and County Supervisor.