Last friday, police arrested 23-year-old Westminster man who is connected to a brothel in garden Grove. Eleven Vietnamese women are suspected of prostitution were arrested at the business location; according to Westminster police Lt. Derek Marsh, they are being treated as victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The brothel is located in a chiropractor’s office that offers massage services on the side. Police are still investigating whether the chiropractor is connected to the suspected brothel operation. Police are surprised that the brothel is relatively public, being next door to a dentist and supermarket.
Last year, the Westminster Police Department and Salvation Army was granted $1.2 million in federal funds to combat human trafficking in Orange County, particularly in the Asian American communities around Little Saigon. The task force is working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate these cases.
Formerly, victims of prostitution were arrested, charged with demeanor, and released into the community. However, the role of the task force has recently been to rehabilitate the victims.
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