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DEA raids home and businesses of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III. What we know.

The home and businesses of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III were raided Thursday by the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement officers.

The DEA and local police searched his home on Caroline Lane in Biloxi, which is in the Taylor Oaks subdivision off Popp’s Ferry Road. They arrived on the scene around 9 a.m. and searched the home and an SUV and pickup truck in the driveway.

Deming was not home when they pulled up, said Chris Bell, resident agent in charge of the DEA in Gulfport, but he arrived soon after.

He has not been arrested or detained, Bell said.

Locations of The Candy Shop & Kratom in Biloxi, Gulfport and Ocean Springs also were searched, along with locations in Hattiesburg and two in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Bell said.

The investigation into the stores has been going on for about a year and a half, he said, and DEA was looking for documents in Deming’s home and businesses.

The DEA is continuing its investigation to see if anyone else is involved in the businesses, he said.

“We had complaints at the businesses in and around the Gulf Coast of products that were sold and having ill effects on people consuming them,” Bell said.

The concerns were with who the products were being sold to, their ages and the effects on “people who basically were ending up in hospitals over this,” he said.

A website that provides information about the sale of kratom in Mississippi says it can be sold to those age 18 or older.

Bell said some of the complaints the DEA received came from parents of children who were underage.

Deming is an attorney and was elected to Biloxi Council in 2013.

In 2020 he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives for the seat then held by former Rep. Steven Palazzo, who was reelected for his final term.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other law enforcement officers conducted raids on the home of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Agents would not say specifically what they were looking for or what they found, but agents also conducted raids on several locations of The Candy Shop & Kratom, a kratom store chain owned by Deming. Hannah Ruhoff
One of the Candy Shop kratom stores owned by Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. The shop was raided by the DEA due to an ongoing investigation. Hannah Ruhoff
One of the Candy Shop kratom stores owned by Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. The shop was raided by the DEA due to an ongoing investigation. Hannah Ruhoff
Agents search the home and vehicles at the home of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III Thursday. The Candy Shop and Kratom locations also were raided by Drug Enforcement Administration and local police. Hannah Ruhoff/hruhoff@sunherald.com
Agents search the home and vehicles at the home of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III Thursday. The Candy Shop and Kratom locations also were raided by Drug Enforcement Administration and local police. Hannah Ruhoff/hruhoff@sunherald.com
The front door of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming’s house stands ajar as DEA agents conduct a raid on the home on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Agents would not say specifically what they were looking for or what they found, but agents also conducted raids on several locations of The Candy Shop & Kratom, a kratom store chain owned by Deming. Hannah Ruhoff
Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other law enforcement officers search two cars as a part of raids conducted on the home of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Agents would not say specifically what they were looking for or what they found, but agents also conducted raids on several locations of The Candy Shop & Kratom, a kratom store chain owned by Deming. Hannah Ruhoff
Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other law enforcement officers search two cars as a part of raids conducted on the home of Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Agents would not say specifically what they were looking for or what they found, but agents also conducted raids on several locations of The Candy Shop & Kratom, a kratom store chain owned by Deming. Hannah Ruhoff
Howard Avenue, once a vibrant part of downtown Biloxi, has struggled to attract business and visitors over the decades. Councilman Robert Deming III has worked to bring business back to downtown. Amanda McCoy/amccoy@sunherald.com
Howard Avenue, once a vibrant part of downtown Biloxi, has struggled to attract business and visitors over the decades. Councilman Robert Deming III has worked to bring business back to downtown. Amanda McCoy/amccoy@sunherald.com