Biloxi city councilman pleads guilty to drug charges

Summer Poole
·1 min read

BILOXI, Miss. (WKRG) — A Biloxi city councilman has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, according to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office.

47-year-old Robert Leon Deming III founded the Candy Shop, LLC in 2019 to operate Candy Shop stores in Mississippi and North Carolina, the release said. The Candy Shop stores sold CBD and vape products.

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The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating the stores in 2020. Their investigation uncovered Schedule I controlled substances and controlled substance analogues in some of the vape products, according to the release.

The DEA also received complaints in 2022 that some of the vape products were making customers ill, according to the release. Agents received search warrants for the shops in Mississippi and North Carolina and for Deming’s home.

The warrants were executed on Jan. 26, 2023, where agents found over $1.8 million in cash at Deming’s home and more cash and drugs in his stores.

“As the investigation continued, agents learned that Deming was aware that his vape additives did not contain CBD; rather, they contained synthetic cannabinoids,” the release said. “This was evidenced by group chats in which Deming’s employees complained about how the additives were too strong and could hurt their customers. Despite this fact, Deming misbranded the additives as containing CBD.”

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Agents also found that Deming sent a co-conspirator $2,200 to purchase 1 kilogram of a controlled substance for use in the Candy Shop vapes, the release said.

Deming was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023.

“Deming agreed to forfeit a yellow Monster Truck with oversized tires and a lift kit and over 1.9 million,” the release said.

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