Thread: ICE agents raid Central ElPaso massage business

<sup>ICE agents raid Central El Paso massage business

By Adriana M. Chávez / El Paso Timeselpasotimes.com
Posted: 10/17/2012 02:45:06 PM MDT

Federal agents on Wednesday raided a Central El Paso massage parlor that advertised a "friendly Asian staff" offering "oriental bodywork."

No details were immediately available about the raid at the Kyoto Hot Stone Spa, 616 N. Virginia St., on Wednesday afternoon.

Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations arrived at the spa about noon and were seen carrying out boxes.

A glass window near the spa's front door was broken, and at least one person was escorted into an awaiting law enforcement vehicle.

"(Homeland Security Investigations) special agents executed a federal search warrant (Wednesday) at Kyoto Hot Stone Spa as part of an ongoing criminal investigation," ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa said.

Zamarripa declined to release any other details about the raid.

According to the spa's profile on backpage.com, a classified advertising website for adult services, the spa offers Swedish and shiatsu massage and "table showers" at a rate of $50 per half-hour. The spa is also ranked on several websites in which users review businesses that allegedly offer erotic massages.

The spa's owner is listed as Kim In Soon, who obtained a business permit for the Kyoto spa in July 2011, according to El Paso County records. Records also list the spa's previous owner as An Sun Lee.

Wednesday's raid took place a little more than a year after ICE and FBI agents, along with Las Cruces police, served search warrants at two Las Cruces massage parlors. Three employees of Bally Hot Stone Spa on South Don Roser Drive, and Green Hot Stone Relaxation Spa on Hillrise Drive were charged in September 2011 with promoting prostitution and accepting the earnings of a prostitute. El Paso County records show Lee's last known address is the same as Bally Hot Stone Spa's in Las Cruces.

Lee was not among those charged in the Las Cruces cases.

Adriana M. Chávez may be reached at achavez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6117. Follow her on Twitter @AChavezEPTimes

ICE agents raid Central El Paso massage business - El Paso Times</sup>

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