I was like, youve got to be kidding me,Austin police Human Trafficking and Vice Unit Sgt. Kevin Covington told the Austin American-Statesman. Its not the normal tip you would get, or lead you would get on a place committing criminal activity, but it happened, so that helped us out.
Police affidavits stated that the tip came when the property manager became aware of a problem when an industrial waste disposal unit connecting the property to city sewer services became clogged and destroyed by hundreds of condoms.
Someone was having a lot of sex. Police knew that much for sure.
Jade Massage Therapy, located in a strip mall on the edge of town, was already under investigation in February, when the property manager called police to report the discovery, according to affidavits reviewed by KXAN-TV.
Not exactly facing a Columbo-caliber mystery, investigators suspected the parlor owners were running a prostitution ring.
On Tuesday, after pinning down a few more pieces of evidence, they acted on that suspicion.
Joseph Emery, 54, and Juan Wang, 49, the husband and wife who run Jade Massage, were arrested and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and money laundering, local media reported. It was not clear Tuesday if either had hired an attorney or entered a plea.
Covington told the American-Statesman that the condom-clogged pipe marked something of a turning point in the investigation.
