Community
News Story - Human Trafficking Arrests
| Nature of Incident: | Human Trafficking Organization / Pimping Arrests | ||||||
| Report Number: | 21-48790 |
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| Location: | Thousand Oaks, Ventura County El Monte, Los Angeles County Monterey Park, Los Angeles County |
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| Date & Time: Unit(s) Responsible: |
July 30, 2021 at 1030 hours Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force, Ventura County Special Crimes Unit, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, Thousand Oaks Police Directed Enforcement Unit, Narcotics Street Team, Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit, Ventura County Combined Agency Team (VCAT), Camarillo Special Enforcement Detail, Main Jail Classification Unit, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office |
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| (S)uspects, | City of Residence | Age | |||||
| (S) Charles Chao Pang El Monte, California 60 | 64 |
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| (S) Lihua Liu Monterey Park, California 43 On July 30, 2021, detectives concluded a four-month investigation into a Human Trafficking Organization operating in the County of Ventura to rescue victims of sex trafficking and arrest their traffickers. Detectives were able to identify the location of an illicit massage parlor in Thousand Oaks along with suspects involved in the Human Trafficking Organization. During their investigation, detectives were able to identify Charles Chao Pang as the business owner and Lihua Liu as the manager of the location. Detectives were able to obtain search warrants for six locations, including the illicit massage parlor, a business in El Monte, residences in Monterey Park and El Monte. During the service of the search warrants at these locations, detectives were able to locate one victim and a male “customer” inside the illicit massage parlor. Detectives located Charles Chao Pang at his residence and Lihua Liu in the area of the Thousand Oaks illicit massage parlor. Detectives seized approximately 24 pounds of marijuana, 270 “Farmapram” (Xanax) pills, five handguns, an AK 47 rifle, large amounts of US currency and items associates with sex trafficking. Charles Chao Pang and Lihua Liu were both arrested for PC 266h(a)-Pimping and booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility. Traffickers often take advantage of the ability to obtain business licenses for these types of establishments. Business “fronts” such as these can be especially attractive locations for all forms of trafficking. Familiarize yourself with more signs of human trafficking at polarisproject.org. The Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force is a task force made up of members from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Ventura Police Department, Santa Paula Police Department, Simi Valley Police Department, Oxnard Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, California Department of Justice, and several victim service providers. The primary mission of the task force is combatting the fight against sex and/or labor trafficking of humans within Ventura County. The Ventura County Task force works closely with surrounding cities and counties to fulfill our mission. Detectives encourage victims to contact “211” or local law enforcement if you believe you are victim or know a victim of human trafficking to be connected with services. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective Dani Thompson | ||||||
| News Release Date: | 08/06/2021 | ||||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Dani Thompson Work Phone (805) 383-8700 [email protected] |
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| Approved by: |
Captain Brian Slominski |
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511