A West Bromwich man caught with cannabis-laced sweets and more than £90,000 in cash has been ordered to repay over £104,000 of his ill-gotten gains, following a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
Confiscation order issued
Rohan Chander, 26, of Castle Street, West Bromwich, was made the subject of a confiscation order for £104,050.80 on Tuesday, August 4. Judge Perry ruled that Chander had benefited from his criminal conduct to the tune of £114,918.42, with available assets of £104,050.80.
Chander has three months to pay the amount or faces a year in prison. The order comes after he was handed a suspended sentence in 2025 for drug offences.
Details of the original offence
The court previously heard how Chander admitted possession of a class B drug with intent. On September 10, 2025, he was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, with a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement, 250 hours of unpaid work, and a three-month electronic curfew.
Prosecutor Stefan Kolodynski told the court that police were on patrol in January 2023 in St Marks Road, Tipton—an area known for drug dealing—when they spotted Chander's red Seat Ibiza, which had a 'marker' on it. Officers pulled him over and noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle.
Chander had three bags of cannabis in his coat pocket, totalling about 84g with a maximum street value of £840, and £1,165 in cash in the glove compartment. A search of the vehicle also uncovered 16 packets of confectionery sticks containing cannabis, seven packets of cannabis cookies, three small wraps of cannabis resin, three grinders, and five small packets of herbal cannabis—worth £1,720 in total.
Evidence of drug dealing
A Nokia burner phone indicated 'clear evidence' of 'drug dealing and marketing of drugs', Mr Kolodynski said. Chander initially claimed the drugs were for 'personal use'.
When police searched his home in Castle Street, West Bromwich, they found £99,620.80 in cash. The court heard how there was evidence of a 'lavish lifestyle', with Chander buying high-priced watches, including a Rolex, and expensive trainers.
Mr Kolodynski told the court that Chander 'must have been trusted by the next man up the chain or the more highly in rank dealer' and had 'awareness of the size of the operation'. He added: "Chander volunteered himself to get into this position and volunteered himself to be trusted with a huge amount of money and a large amount of drugs."
Defence and character references
Harbinder Lally, defending, described Chander as a 'man of impeccable character' with 'significant family ties' before his crime. In character references handed to the court, Chander was said to have made a 'mistake' during a 'difficult time in his life', with his offending described as 'out of character'.
The Nottingham University business management graduate said he was 'under pressure' to pay off a drug debt. Sentencing, Judge Trevor Meegan said Chander was 'holding these drugs with the intention of returning them on demand to a drug dealer who owned them'.
