At Thursday night’s City Council meeting, Assistant Police Chief John Cagle mentioned that with the help of the Fire Department’s Code Enforcement and the Harrison Police Department, a search warrant was issued, and an arrest was made at a local massage parlor where an employee was a victim of sex trafficking.
Cagle said the police department received a tip from Code Enforcement about a month and a half ago after they inspected the Joyful Day Massage Parlor.
“We opened the investigation at that time and issued a search warrant this morning. I can tell you all the agencies worked well together, and this business is now closed,” Cagle said.
Friday afternoon, Attorney General Tim Griffin held a news conference in Little Rock, partnering with several state agencies and non-profit organizations that aid victims.
In “Operation Obscured Vision,” Griffin said Harrison had the most recent search warrant issued, bringing the total to 12 with 14 arrests. Victims were between the ages of 29 and 65 and all Chinese nationals. At this time, only one local business was affected in Harrison.
Harrison and some of the other police departments mentioned were Jonesboro, Rogers, Little Rock, and Hot Springs.
Four owners/operators were arrested as part of the state-wide investigation. A luxury vehicle, $70,000 in cash, and some Chinese currency were confiscated.
The testimony from the 17 victims reported they were forced to work 13-hour days, seven days a week.
Griffin has already said the Arkansas laws are weak in this area, and he’s been working to strengthen them. He has more to propose to the upcoming legislature. The “johns” are currently charged with an unclassified misdemeanor, but Griffin wants to strengthen that.
“This is only the beginning,” Griffin said. “The four women arrested are woven into a network far beyond our borders. Criminals don’t draw the lines with just sex trafficking. They are usually involved with drugs and more. The Communist Chinese government is not our friend. They are behind some of our cyber security issues. The victims told us they responded to an ad posted in China for a job in the US. They came into the country through Los Angeles and New York City,” Griffin said.
Cagle said Friday afternoon that additional information has been discovered but cannot be released yet, so the investigation continues.
Mayor Jerry Jackson added, “I am pleased with the speed of this investigation, the arrests made, and the fact there is still more to come.”
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