SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – An undercover sting at three Surfside Beach massage parlors landed multiple people in jail after complaints of prostitution, according to police.
Surfside Beach Interim Police Chief Kenneth Hofmann says his department worked with Horry County Police to conduct an undercover operation Thursday to “address complaints of prostitution-related activity taking place in massage parlors located in the Town Surfside Beach.”
The undercover sting targeted the suspected prostitutes and the managers of the massage businesses, confirms Hofmann. Multiple arrests were made during the sting.
Interim Chief Hofmann says, “These arrests should send a clear message that Surfside Beach is The Family Beach. This activity is not legal or welcome here. It undermines our values as a community and only serves to attract a criminal element that erodes our quality of life and safety.”
Police raided Sunrise Massage, located at 313 Highway 17 North where officers arrested Hua Min Liu, 54, and David Li, 54, both of Little River. Both were charged with prostitution and “prostitution-related offenses.”
The second location targeted was Palm Massage, located at 520 Highway 17 South, where Yingshu Li, 49, of Flushing, NY was arrested for prostitution.
The third business raided was Juns Therapeutic Massage, located at 820 Surfside Drive, where officers charged Guixiang Su, 57, of Surfside Beach, with prostitution.
At the end of July, Hofmann told town council Juns Therapeutic Massage was still open but the other parlors had closed.
Hofmann assured the council that his officers were “keeping pressure on [Juns] to make sure no illegal business is happening” and said he personally went into the business three times to do license checks.
“We will continue to investigate these businesses through criminal laws, town codes, and fire laws until it’s just not worth it to stay,” promises Hofmann. “These investigations do not end with the arrests.”
The police department is working with Business Licensing to request to town council that the business licenses be revoked.
“We owe it as council-people to make sure this never happens again,” said Councilman, Randle Stevens. “That this type of operation never comes back into our town.”