Arrests made at Blaine massage spa

Officers from the Blaine Police Department served a search warrant at the Luxury Spa massage parlor at the Blaine International shopping center, 1733 H Street, Suite 800, on May 29. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Bellingham Police Department assisted with the raid.

Law enforcement vehicles entered the parking lot just after 1 p.m. and arrested two patrons at the parlor, Todd Aric Berge, 57, of Blaine, and Ankhjargal Jargalsaikhan, 38, of Corona, California, on preliminary charges of patronizing a prostitute. Blaine PD also arrested Jie Deng, 39 of Renton, on a preliminary charge of second-degree rape, which she is suspected of committing at the massage parlor, according to a May 29 Blaine PD press release.

Berge and Jargalsaikhan were booked into Whatcom County Jail around 4:20 p.m. May 29 and released about 5 p.m. the same day, according to jail booking data. Deng was booked into jail at 5:48 p.m.

BPD officers were seen leaving the business with multiple evidence bags, according to eyewitness reports.

Christine Sittner, manager of the Subway sandwich shop next door, said the 1,200 square-foot massage parlor had been consistently busy since opening a few months ago, operating on a “cash-only” basis that served both local and Canadian customers coming from over the border.

“Our thoughts go out to the victim of the sexual assault,” the Blaine PD statement said. “We are glad to have been able to bring the suspect to justice. We want to thank the community for your tips and information, which led to the completion of a criminal case and the arrest of three subjects.”

BPD, CBP and HSI did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Northern Light.

This article was updated at 6:52 p.m. May 29 with new information from Blaine Police Department.

This story is ongoing and will be updated as new information is gathered.