OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Federal prosecutors say a 48-year-old Omaha man has been convicted of conspiracies to launder money and sell controlled substances, among other crimes in Nebraska and Iowa.
John Ways Jr. was found guilty on Wednesday after a 13-day trial in U.S. District Court in Omaha.

Prosecutors say that from February 2010 to December 2012, Ways operated head shops in Nebraska and Iowa called Exotica. Among other things, the stores sold drug paraphernalia and controlled substances that included synthetic drugs such as K2 and bath salts. Prosecutors say Ways laundered the proceeds from the sales through transactions at various banks and credit unions in the Omaha area.

He faces up to 55 years in prison and must forfeit more than $1.1 million in cash and property.