(WWJ) — Seven people have been arraigned on charges stemming from a series of raids on Wednesday in connection with a human trafficking operation in Macomb County.
Wednesday morning local and federal authorities executed search warrants at homes in Shelby Township and Macomb Township, as well as 25 Health Spa on Shelby Road in Shelby Twp. and Healing Plus Spa on Mound Road in Sterling Heights.
Sheriff Anthony Wickersham told WWJ's Luke Sloan investigators determined prostitution was taking place at at least one of the spas.
While 12 people were arrested in the earlier raids, no further arrests were made when a search warrant was executed Wednesday night at a home in Warren, according to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.
The search warrant and welfare check in Warren came from information authorities received from people taken into custody earlier in the day.
On Thursday seven people were arraigned on various charges:
Chun Jin, age 48 of Macomb, is charged with the following:
• Prostitution / Pandering, a 20 year felony
• Prostitution / Accepting Earnings, a 20 year felony
• Keeping a House of Prostitution, a five year felony
• Conspiracy to Commit Prostitution/Keeping a House of Prostitution, a five year felony
• Aiding and Abetting, a 93-day misdemeanor
• Disorderly Person-Loitering at House of Ill Fame, a 90-day misdemeanor
Chengai Jin, age 54 of Macomb, and the spouse of Chun Jin is charged with the following:
• Prostitution / Accepting Earnings, a 20 year felony
• Prostitution / Pandering, a 20 year felony
• Keeping a House of Prostitution, a five year felony
• Conspiracy to Commit Prostitution/Keeping a House of Prostitution, a five year felony
• Disorderly Person-Loitering at House of Ill Fame, a 90-day misdemeanor
Jorge Ruiz-Diaz, age 22 of Utica, was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance less than 25 grams, a four year misdemeanor.
Yeong Sil Kim, age 63 of Utica, was charged with Accosting and Soliciting Prostitution, a 93-day misdemeanor and Disorderly Person-Loitering at House of Ill Fame, a 90-day misdemeanor.
Zhanghuan Peng, age 50 of Utica, was charged with the following:
• Transporting a Person for Prostitution, a 20 year felony
• Prostitution / Accepting Earnings, a 20 year felony
• Keeping a House of Prostitution, a five year felony
• Conspiracy to Commit Prostitution/Keeping a House of Prostitution, a five year felony
• Aiding and Abetting, a 93-day misdemeanor
Jie Liang, age 61 of Eastpointe, was charged with Keeping a House of Prostitution, a five year felony and Lin Jun Zhou, age 49 of Utica, was charged with Accosting and Soliciting Prostitution, a 93-day misdemeanor.
US Customs and Border Patrol also took five men and one woman into custody for illegal immigration status. Authorities did not identify them. Wickersham said one of the homes raided Wednesday had at least 11 "makeshift rooms" and the people who were in the country illegally were living in "deplorable conditions."
Authorities also seized more than $25,000 in cash, high-end jewelry and a small amount of cocaine. The suspects were expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.
This all comes after an investigation was launched three months ago when police got a tip about possible illegal activity occurring at one of the businesses, according to Wickersham.
Through undercover officers and surveillance, police "were able to connect the dots to two establishments in Macomb County and eventually three homes," Wickersham said. Authorities were eventually able to develop enough information to secure search warrants for all the locations raided on Wednesday.
Wickersham said authorities believe some of the people working in the spas are part of a larger human trafficking issue that police have "been dealing with for many years."
"These individuals are coming from other countries and, we don’t know exactly, but probably promised a better life in coming to America and then brought in and they’re made to work in these massage parlors and have no transportation, really no freedom," Wickersham said.
Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said Thursday's human trafficking charges go beyond just enforcing the law.
"It is about dismantling networks that exploit and dehumanize innocent people. Thank you to all the law enforcement agencies that worked together to stop this ring of traffickers,” Lucido said, per a press release.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest details as they become available. >>> LISTEN LIVE!