METHUEN — Less than 24 hours after city officials shut down a suspected human trafficking operation at Beauty Garden Spa on Wallace Street, the City of Methuen has shuttered a second alleged front, this time at Eastern Bodywork Therapy located at 17 Hampshire Street.
The latest closure, announced Monday by Mayor D.J. Beauregard, comes alongside the launch of a new Human Trafficking Task Force, which he said will focus on identifying traffickers, shutting down illicit businesses, and holding landlords accountable if they profit from illegal activity.
“The Methuen Human Trafficking Task Force will draw from the resources of our city agencies and partners, including Methuen’s Inspections and Health Divisions, the Methuen Police Department, and community partners and non-profit agencies,” Mayor Beauregard said in a statement. “We will work together to identify traffickers, shutter illegal businesses that profit from this evil, and hold landlords accountable if they harbor and profit from such activities.”
Beauregard added that the task force will also work with federal and state law enforcement to unmask shell corporations that hide business owners, support survivor-centered law enforcement strategies, and address loopholes in the commercial real estate industry that traffickers exploit.
“We must do more,” Beauregard said. Later adding, “Methuen has zero tolerance for those who profit from human suffering in our city.”
According to a statement from Mayor D.J. Beauregard’s Office, the shutdown of Eastern Bodywork Therapy came after an inspector from Methuen’s Department of Health, Human Services, and Inspections responded to a complaint of unlicensed business activity at the address.
During the inspection, which took place on Monday, September 29, 2025, the inspector found evidence of unlawful habitation and other materials consistent with criminal activity in plain view. The information was immediately referred to the Methuen Police Department, and a cease-and-desist order was issued for the premises.
“Commercial spaces are not designed or permitted for residential use, and living in them poses serious safety risks,” said Director of Public Health Caeli Tegan Zampach. “We also encourage everyone to make sure any service-based business they visit has its proper license posted, which is required by law.”
The city acknowledged the role of community members in uncovering the operations, thanking “concerned neighbors and small business owners who came forward with these reports.”
The investigation into the 17 Hampshire Street location is ongoing, and further details are expected to be released. A media briefing is scheduled for later this week to outline the structure and goals of the newly formed task force.
Background on the first shutdown
On Thursday, Sept. 4, following a lengthy investigation involving surveillance and undercover operations, Methuen police executed a search warrant at Beauty Garden Spa, located at 5 Wallace Street, Chief Scott McNamara announced in a statement.
During the search, police discovered living quarters for two women in the basement of the commercially zoned building. The Methuen Department of Health, Human Services, and Inspections was notified and promptly ordered the business closed, citing “the unlawful habitation of individuals within a commercial premises lacking the requisite residential facilities and accommodations necessary to support lawful occupancy.”
Police also recovered multiple computers, phones, and business records as part of their ongoing investigation. Two women working at the spa were interviewed at the scene.
The ongoing investigation led to police obtaining an arrest warrant for the spa’s manager, Suping Zhu, 38, of Flushing, New York.
On Friday, Sept. 26, Zhu was taken into custody without incident on the arrest warrant.
Suping Zhu was arrested and charged with the following:
- Deriving Support from Prostitution
- Keeper of a House of Ill Fame
- Trafficking Person for Sexual Servitude
She was arraigned Monday in Lawrence District Court, where she was ordered held on $25,000 cash bail. According to CBS News, Zhu was ordered to surrender her passport and have no contact with victims or witnesses as conditions of her release. Her next court date is set for Oct. 24.
