City councilman jailed for six years, forfeiting monster truck and $1.9m, for selling drugs

One mom said her two sons became ill after ingesting products from former councilman’s store

Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming was detained by Harrison County sheriff’s deputies on September 21, 2023 (Harrison County Sheriff’s Department)

A former city councilman has been jailed for six years and was forced to hand over his monster truck, along with $1.9 million, after he admitted selling drugs in his vape store.

Robert Deming III, a former councilman in Biloxi, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a Schedule I controlled substance in May and was sentenced on Tuesday. He resigned from the Biloxi City Council after his guilty plea.

Deming opened Candy Shop & Kratom stores in 2019 selling CBD, kratom, and vape products. Prosecutors said sometime after opening his store, one of Deming’s co-conspirators traveled to Houston, Texas, to purchase a synthetic cannabinoid, MDMB-4EN-PINACA, for $10,000.

The substance was also bought in Lafayette, Louisiana, and in Medford, Oregon. The substance was not illegal at the time but it mimics the effects of a controlled substance, WLOX reports.

Deming’s attorney said the former councilman was not aware that the substance was in an unclear legal area, and Deming admitted fault for “maintaining status quo.”

The judge, Taylor McNeel, said Deming was aware that the substance was retrieved via “fairly stealthy means” through a “friend of a friend.”

It was sold in Deming’s stores as an additive for CBD vapes and it wasn’t long before customers complained of feeling unwell from the products.

One mother said her two sons became ill and vomited after ingesting products from Deming’s store. The judge added that one 19-year-old was taken to a hospital after “vomiting blood” - but that there could have been other reasons behind the teen seeking medical care.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, have been investigating Deming since 2020. Agents discovered Deming sent a co-conspirator $2,200 to purchase 1 kilogram of 5F-AB-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid which is a Schedule 1 controlled substance.

Robert Deming III was forced to hand over his monster truck after he admitted selling drugs in his vape store (WLOX)

At the time of sending the money, Deming knew it was a controlled substance, prosecutors said.

Deming was aware his vape additives did not contain CBD but synthetic cannabinoids after agents discovered he was part of a group chat with employees who complained about how the additives could hurt customers, prosecutors said.

During the visit of an undercover agent, a staff member told the agent that the products would produce an “intense high,” adding that “she tried it and couldn’t drive after taking two gummies.”

DEA agents found documents of staff members outlining the various effects the products could create, including “hours of being F’d up” and that it “mimics the way weed feels,” according to WLOX.

Special Agent in Charge, Justin Fielder, said: “U.S. consumers are put at risk when labeling is false and misleading. Labeling is designed to provide information that can help consumers make informed choices about what they purchase and consume.

“The FDA is committed to pursuing and bringing to justice those who unlawfully mask controlled substances as known consumer products to be sold to the American public.”

Even in the face of a guilty plea, the judge said the case wasn’t as clear cut as most dug offenses and Deming’s defense lawyer said it was a “highly complicated case” as the “law doesn’t clearly label what is illegal.”