State of Texas orders Fort Worth massage parlor to close for suspected human trafficking - MSN

[Shambhavi Rimal]

Two massage parlors in Fort Worth and Garland, owned and operated by the same man, have been ordered by the state to close for six months because of suspected human trafficking.


The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation issued the emergency closure orders effective on March 19, the department said in a news release.

Fort Worth police along with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation have been conducting investigations and closed similar businesses in the city last month after concerns about illegal activity such as human trafficking and sexual services.

The owner and operator of the two massage establishments in Fort Worth and Garland, Chiping Zhang, was ordered to stop operations and is prohibited from operating different massage parlors at these locations, according to the news release.

During an inspection of the Fort Worth massage parlor — Tao Happy Feet, also known as Happy Feet Massage at 6227 Oakmont Blvd., Suite 6227 — and two inspections at the Garland location, SY Foot at 1456 Belt Line Road, Suite 117, investigators found several indicators of possible human trafficking, including people living on the premises and items that are prohibited in a massage establishment, the release stated.

Police also received several complaints about possible human trafficking at the Garland location, the release stated.

Investigators also found that both locations were advertising on illicit websites, officials said in the release.

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This investigation follows a state law that took effect in 2023 which allows the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation’s executive director to issue an emergency order to stop the operation of any massage business if the department’s staff or law enforcement believes human trafficking is occurring.

Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring can contact the National Hotline for Human Trafficking at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733). If the situation is an emergency or you believe someone is in immediate danger, authorities say you should call 911.

To file a complaint online against a Texas business that you suspect may be participating in human trafficking, visit the department’s website at tdlr.texas.gov/complaints/