Methuen spa manager arrested on trafficking, prostitution charges    

A Methuen spa manager is facing human trafficking and prostitution charges after police found living quarters for two women in the massage parlor’s basement. 

Suping Zhu, 38, of Flushing, New York, is scheduled for arraignment Monday on charges of trafficking a person for sexual servitude, profiting off of prostitution, and keeping a house of ill fame. It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf. 

The charges stem from an investigation prompted by complaints from Methuen residents, Police Chief Scott McNamara said in a news release. 

Authorities searched the Beauty Garden Spa on Wallace Street Sept. 4 and purportedly found living quarters in the basement of the commercially-zoned bulding, prompting the massage parlor’s closure due to unlawful habitation, according to the release. Investigators later interviewed two women working in the spa and found several computers, phones, and business records that led them to arrest Zhu last Friday. 

“This operation marks the first blow in our aggressive campaign to eradicate human trafficking and sexual servitude in Methuen,” McNamara said in a statement. He said the department is “sending a clear and unmistakable warning to every nefarious proprietor running these vile operations: we are coming for you, and we will shut down your illegal enterprises with determined action.”

The Beauty Garden Spa has remained closed since the Sept. 4 search, and Methuen police indicated additional charges may be in the pipeline as their investigation continues. 

“To the ‘johns’ fueling this despicable trade, know this: you are not invisible, and we are targeting you next with the full might of the law,” McNamara said. “Human trafficking and sexual servitude are not victimless crimes. They exploit the vulnerable, destroy lives, and poison our community. We will relentlessly pursue every perpetrator to ensure they face justice.”

He was joined by Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard, who thanked local officials and concerned residents who helped the city in its crackdown.  

“From a policy standpoint, I am declaring war on human trafficking in the City of Methuen,” Beauregard said. “We will identify and apprehend traffickers, shut down every business in Methuen that profits from this evil, and hold landlords accountable if they harbor them — we will find you, and we are coming after you next. Methuen has zero tolerance for these terrible crimes in our city.”