Rapid City, SD – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced five smoke shop owners have been indicted following a law enforcement operation that found the sale of illegal products in their businesses.
The investigation, conducted by the Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Investigation, in partnership with local law enforcement, targeted shops suspected of selling products that violated state and federal law. Undercover officers made controlled purchases at the businesses between June 11 and June 13, 2025.
“This operation should serve as a warning to stop selling dangerous drugs in our communities,” Jackley said in a statement. “We will continue working with our local law enforcement partners to protect our communities and keep our streets safe from dangerous and illegal products.”
One of the indictments is in Rapid City. Benjamin Rodriguez, 32, of Spearfish, who does business as ZyGlam Smoke Shop in Rapid City at the Uptown Rapid Mall, was indicted on one misdemeanor count of Industrial Hemp for Smoking Prohibited and one misdemeanor count of Sale or Distribution of a Substance for Purpose of Intoxication. Each count carries a maximum sentence of one year in a county jail and a $2,000 fine.
Other indictments include:
- Brown County: Emad Zuhair Wazwaz, 31, of Blaine, Minnesota, doing business as All the Smoke in Aberdeen, faces two misdemeanor counts of Possession, Sale, and Distribution of Substance for Purpose of Intoxication and one misdemeanor count of Sale or Distribution of Chemical Modified or Converted Industrial Hemp.
- Hughes County: Bristol Nielsen, 29, of Pierre/Ft. Pierre, doing business as Masterpiece Smoke Shop in Pierre, faces multiple felony and misdemeanor counts including Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana of more than One Pound and Violation of a Drug Free Zone.
- Lincoln County: Saleh Jabr-Saleh Al Names, 26, of Sioux Falls, doing business as Puff City in Sioux Falls, faces three misdemeanor counts of Possession, Sale or Distribution of a Substance for Purpose of Intoxication and one misdemeanor count of Sale, Distribution of Chemical Modified or Converted Industrial Hemp.
- Minnehaha County: Gamal Yahya Abdull Suhail, 35, of Sioux Falls, doing business as Blazin Aces Smokes & Vape in Sioux Falls, faces four misdemeanor counts of Possession, Sale or Distribution of a Substance for Purpose of Intoxication.
The cases will be prosecuted by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office. The suspects are presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.