'HEAD SHOP' CRACKDOWN INCLUDES THREE MV BUSINESSES

TWIN FALLS -- A Burley man and two Twin Falls residents were among 55
people arrested on federal indictments Monday during a nationwide crackdown
on drug paraphernalia sales, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Lena Ann Johnson, owner of Enchantress at 622 N. Main Ave. in Twin Falls;
Daniel Ben Nogara, owner of Dead on Arrival, 455 Second Ave. S. in Twin
Falls; and Manuel Munoz, manager of Li'l Cinders Smoke Shop at 2311
Overland Ave. in Burley were among 17 arrested in Idaho and Oregon.

The arrests were part of "Operation Pipe Dreams" and "Operation Headhunter"
- -- federal efforts to curb the sale of such paraphernalia as water pipes,
miniature spoons and "roach clips" -- according to a press release from the
U.S. Attorney's Office in Boise.

Those charged with selling and conspiring to sell such items face up to
three years in prison and maximum fines of $250,000, according to the U.S.
Attorney's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Johnson, Nogara and Munoz were each charged with multiple counts of
offering drug paraphernalia for sale and ordered to forfeit the
paraphernalia and any proceeds from it, according to indictments filed
against them in U.S. District Court.

Officers raiding their shops found various types of pipes and other
drug-related devices, according to the indictments.

"Our goal is to stop these products from being made available to children,
who are then encouraged to use drugs," said Tom Moss, U.S. attorney for the
District of Idaho.

"These aren't stores selling a few pipes here and there, nor are they
selling legitimate tobacco-related products. These are drug-oriented
businesses, and they represent big money," Moss said.

Nogara faced similar charges in 1998, stemming from accusations of
paraphernalia sales from another Twin Falls store, according to court records.

Federal authorities say many of the people arrested in the crackdown were
using both traditional stores and the Internet to hawk paraphernalia.

Federal law makes it a crime to sell products mainly intended for the use
of illegal drugs, including such things as bongs, marijuana pipes, "roach"
clips, miniature spoons and scales.

A search warrant in the Iowa case turned up more than $2 million in illegal
paraphernalia, authorities said.

During a press conference in Washington, D.C., Monday, Attorney General
John Ashcroft said the sale of drug paraphernalia has exploded on the
Internet, making it easier for teen-agers and young adults to buy it. The
items often are disguised as such things as lipstick cases to escape
detection and are marketed under code names and symbols.

"Quite simply, the illegal drug paraphernalia industry has invaded the
homes of families across the country without their knowledge," Ashcroft
said in a statement. "This illegal, billion-dollar industry will no longer
be ignored by law enforcement."

The Internet sites go by such names as Smokelab.com, Aheadcase.com and
puffpipes.com, according to the Justice Department.

The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration along with
the U.S. Marshals, Secret Service, Customs Service and Postal Inspection
Service.

"People selling drug paraphernalia are in essence no different than drug
dealers," said John Brown, acting DEA chief. "They are as much a part of
drug trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide."

Organizations advocating the legalization of marijuana accused Ashcroft of
grandstanding.

"At a time when the rest of the country is worried about terrorism, this
attorney general is going after people who sell pipes," said Keith Stroup,
the founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana laws.
"Surely he has something better to do with his time."

Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, suggested
the busts were aimed at scoring political points against a perceived
counterculture.

"It would be more logical -- although I'm not suggesting this -- to
prosecute people who sell beer mugs because of the poison consumed in
them," he said.