Massage parlor raided in Jackson County human trafficking sting

ST. MARTIN - Authorities raided a massage parlor Wednesday, arresting two people and gathering evidence as part of a long-running human trafficking investigation.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said deputies served a search warrant at the business, JJ Spa Massages, and arrested two people whom officials have not yet identified.

"There is an element of human trafficking going on here," the sheriff said. "Prostitution."

Sheriff's deputies, along with the 19th Judicial District Attorney's Office and other agencies, have been investigating the massage parlor for more than a year.

"Due to continued concerns and complaints, we established a Human Trafficking Task Force to investigate potential criminal activity in the abnormally high number of massage parlors in Jackson County," District Attorney Tony Lawrence said. "The work of that task force paid off with the raid that occurred today."

Officials said more arrests may come out of the investigation as authorities comb through records and other evidence found at the business.

The sheriff said his office plans to release more details within the next few days.

Also participating in the investigation are the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Office and the Mississippi Attorney General's Office.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Massage parlor raided in Jackson County human trafficking sting ."