The owner of Perth Cloud 9 retail stores has pleaded guilty to illegally importing thousands of glass methamphetamine pipes.

Pharmacist Hoang Nam Nguyen had been due to stand trial in the Perth Magistrates Court on six charges of importing prohibited imports, however at the start of proceedings today he pleaded guilty to three of the counts.

The remaining three charges were discontinued.

The court was told Nguyen imported more than 2,000 of the "ice pipes" from India and China in 2014.

The court heard Nguyen maintained he was not familiar with the way people smoked ice and he planned to sell them as kerosene lamps and candle and tobacco holders.

He was expected to make between $120,000 and $240,000 from their sale.

Nguyen will be sentenced later this year.