The Bothell Police Department (BPD) is detailing some of the evidence discovered during a raid of five massage parlors in Downtown Bothell.
It comes as the department faces new criticism over the decision to conduct the raids from advocates who have called the action “discriminatory.”
Bothell Police Captain of Investigations Mike Johnson says multiple of the businesses were found with new and used condoms, as well as a large amount of lubricant.
“When they hit the rooms with the alternate light source, there was an incredible amount of human bodily fluid around the establishment,” Johnson said.
In one case, police were met at the door of one of the establishments by a female worker who was nude. In this location, law enforcement officers learned they had just interrupted a sex act in progress.
“We spoke to the male participant who, post-Miranda (Rights), admitted that he was engaged in that after agreeing to money,” Johnson said. “And the female also agreed that that’s what had happened.”
In another location, officers were met by a female worker in lingerie.
It is not clear at which parlors the specific evidence was discovered. It is also not clear if the parlors are connected in any way.
The parlors were initially closed last week due to fire code violations, separate from the investigation into prostitution and human trafficking. Because the fire department was on scene during the raids, the violations were observed, and stop-work notices were placed.
The new details were released Monday after a group of advocates for Asian massage workers spoke out against the raids, claiming the action was rooted in anti-Asian discrimination.
The group of advocates is not directly linked with the businesses that were shut down, but said they had attempted outreach and made contact with some of the workers.
“You’re patting your own back for solving fabricated issues based on your own sexist, racist ideas, and Asian massage workers are paying the price,” said an organizer named Lee, who said they were reading a statement on behalf of the International Migrants Alliance.
The organizers said the police raids make it more dangerous for migrant workers who might be employed in these businesses, and also criticized the licensing process that they said discriminates against Asian workers.
One organizer alleged “egregious acts of police misconduct” in the execution of the search warrants in Bothell, specifically claiming there was no reading of Miranda rights.
KIRO 7 asked Bothell Police about this. Johnson said some individuals weren’t read these rights because they weren’t being investigated for criminal activity.
“Mirandas trigger when we have you in custody, detained, and we’re talking to you about criminal activity,” he said. “If you’re a witness, or we’re thinking that you might be a victim of trafficking or some other exploitation-type crime, we’re going to talk to you and treat you like a victim or a witness.”
Johnson said the workers were given access to resources for victims as well. He added that the police department does not want to run operations like this on any business operating legitimately.
“In this particular instance, we had complaints, we had information,” he said. “Multiple of the locations had all sorts of evidence indicating that there’s a lot of sexual activity occurring in these places.”
KIRO 7 spoke with a couple that runs two of the massage parlors, and they vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
“If you want to find or arrest any real criminal, or any human trafficking, or any prostitution, you can go to Epstein Island,” said Li Wiezuo, who said his wife owns the two parlors.
You can watch their interview here.
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