Smoke shop owner pleads guilty to selling drug paraphernalia

The Department of Justice says the owner of Twisted Roots, a Carlsbad smoke shop, pleaded guilty Friday in Federal Court in Las Cruces to charges on the sale and offer of sale of drug paraphernalia. This plea agreement with Leon Conaway, 56, recommends a three year probation sentence.

Conaway was arrested this past January and charged with two counts of selling and offering the sale of drug paraphernalia back in 2016. As a part of a plea deal, Conaway admitted in court today that he sold three glass pipes meant for smoking methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent.

Conaway also admitted he had large amounts of drug paraphernalia on display at Twisted Roots on two occasions in 2016. On July 12, 2016, federal law enforcement agents seized more than 1,000 smoking instruments that were on display at the smoke shop, along with various other drug paraphernalia according to Conaway.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.