The former owner of Curious Goods Smoke Shop is facing prison time after pleading guilty in two separate cases. Richard Buswell, of Lafayette, was the owner of Curious Goods. Many of these shops in Acadiana were raided back in December of 2011 as part of a nationwide investigation into synthetic marijuana.
Across the country, that sting led to more than 90 arrests. Now, Buswell is facing serious prison time for his role in the synthetic drug ring. According to court documents, Curious Goods was a very calculated business. Buswell admits to training Curious Goods employees on how to evade law enforcement.
In 2011, documents show that a company called Pinnacle supplied Buswell and Curious Goods with the synthetic marijuana known as "Mr. Miyagi." The Feds say Curious Goods made $5 million dollars in profits from the sale of the synthetic weed.