The Republic | azcentral.com

Authorities have identified the eight people arrested in connection with a suspected human trafficking operation linked to massage parlors in Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials held a joint press conference Tuesday with the Lake Havasu City and Bullhead City police departments, about the extensive undercover operation that led to the arrests.

Among the six Bullhead City parlors and homes, police arrested Dean Michael Bassett, 52; Yuqin Shu, 56; Chunxia Fang McMillin, 52; and Quan Xiang Ma, 55.

Among the four Lake Havasu City locations, police arrested Amanda Yamauchi, 46; Dennis R. Weber, 65; Fang F. Chen, 45; and Stephen C. Hansen, 41.

In addition to the eight arrests, authorities rescued two victims of human trafficking while serving the 10 search warrants at the parlors and homes.

The investigation found that seven massage parlors in the two cities offered sexual acts in exchange for money, according to Lon Weigand, deputy special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in Phoenix.

Women working in some of the massage parlors lived and worked in the businesses, and their movements were extremely restricted, Weigand said.

Bassett was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, trafficking persons for forced labor or services, money laundering, unlawfully obtaining labor or service, procuring or placing persons in house of prostitution, and operating a house of prostitution, according to Bullhead City Police Department.

Shu is suspected of money laundering, trafficking persons for forced labor, unlawfully obtaining labor, sex trafficking, procuring or placing persons in a house of prostitution, operating a house of prostitution, and prostitution. She was not arrested during the warrant because her children were present, according to Bullhead City police.

McMillin and Ma were both arrested and suspected of prostitution.

Yamauchi was arrested on suspicion of money laundering, prostitution, sex trafficking, trafficking of persons for forced labor, unlawfully obtaining labor of services, procuring or placing persons in a house of prostitution, operating a house of prostitution, benefiting from a sex trafficking venture and receiving earnings of a prostitute, according to Lake Havasu City Police Department.

Weber was arrested and suspected of solicitation of prostitution, while Chen was suspected of prostitution. Hansen was arrested and accused of pandering, Lake Havasu City police said.

The investigation is ongoing and possible charges are pending, authorities said.

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