14-05-2025
Father and daughter who made £130k selling cannabis sweets disguised as Fruit Pastilles gave ridiculous lie when caught by police
A father and daughter who made more than £130,000 selling cannabis sweets disguised as Fruit Pastilles told police they used the drug to 'marinade the chicken'.
Father John Miles, 52, daughter Chay, 28, and her 20-year-old boyfriend Kyle Gadsby all pocketed thousands of pounds by posting their fake sweets around the UK.
The threesome advertised the secret sweet business on social media, where one customer review said the illicit edibles were 'f****** banging', a court heard.
But they were caught after one package was intercepted at a Royal Mail sorting office smelling heavily of cannabis.
The package was traced back to the family and a police raid found 25kg of sweets either containing cannabis or ready to be infused.
All three defendants, of Haverfordwest, denied any knowledge of the edibles operation, with the daughter claiming she used the cannabis distillate to 'marinade the chicken'.
Meanwhile, when an officer said to Gadsby 'You have a sweet tooth in this house', the defendant claimed the sweets were bought in bulk as a cheaper way to treat Chay's children than purchase them at a shop.
Phones confiscated during the raid showed Chay was running the social media accounts for the illegal operation on Instagram and Snapchat - while also showing she had screenshots displaying positive reviews from customers.
All three pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.
They were jailed in November last year but returned to court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing in a bid to claw back their ill-gotten gains.
Chay benefitted by £72,779 from selling the sweets - but had just £260 left in assets, Swansea Crown Court heard.
Meanwhile, her father benefitted by £44,205 and had £1,492 available in the form of vehicles, while Gadsby made £21,522 and had £1,941 in assets.
The court made confiscation orders in the available sums in respect of all three defendants.
At the earlier sentencing, John was jailed for three years, while Chay and Gadsby were each sentenced to 27 months behind bars.
Gadsby's sentence also covered offences including possession of criminal property, dangerous driving, and possession of a bladed article which were committed before his move to Wales to be with Chay.
