Day 3 of the nuggnotes Cannabis Prisoner Series. Every day, we tell the story of someone still locked up over cannabis. Robert Deals has spent more than 14 years inside on a combined 18-year Arizona sentence that started with a marijuana investigation. In 2022, his daughter Alicia won a state license to sell cannabis legally — a license she qualified for because of his conviction. She sells it in Tempe. He is still in a cell in Yuma.
An Air Force Veteran, Minister and Father Before the Conviction
Robert Deals, whom his daughter identifies as Robert Joseph Deals, served in the United States Air Force. He is 59 years old.
According to the Last Prisoner Project, he lives with post-traumatic stress disorder connected to his military service.
He is also a licensed minister of more than 20 years and previously served as a co-pastor.
Beyond his military service and ministry, Deals is a husband of more than 30 years, a father, a grandfather and a community advocate.
Those roles are central to how his family and supporters describe him.
His story, however, became defined by a police operation in Phoenix that led to a lengthy prison sentence.
A Phoenix Cannabis Operation Ended With an Officer Struck by a Car Mirror
According to the Last Prisoner Project's account, undercover police officers approached Deals and two other men to solicit a cannabis purchase.
During the encounter, an officer drew a gun.
Deals, who lives with military-related PTSD, fled the scene.
As he drove away, the side mirror of his vehicle struck an officer's hand.
The Arizona corrections record lists January 13, 2011, as the offense date for the aggravated-assault conviction associated with Maricopa County Superior Court case CR2011-102084-003. The Last Prisoner Project's campaign page gives a conflicting 2010 date for the arrest.
Deals was subsequently held in county jail while fighting the charges.
His family disputes the characterization of his involvement in the alleged marijuana sale.
According to his daughter Alicia and his attorney, Deals did not sell any cannabis during the encounter.
Deals himself has argued that the circumstances amounted to entrapment and that the case would have been dismissed on those grounds in most states.
Those are his and his family's claims, not findings established by the appellate decision.
Nearly Two Years in County Jail, Then an 18-Year Sentence
Deals fought his case from county jail for nearly two years.
According to Alicia, he spent approximately 22 months in custody before sentencing without receiving credit for that time toward his prison sentence.
In the fall of 2012, he was sentenced in three Maricopa County cases. The family and the Last Prisoner Project describe Deals's original punishment as an 18-year sentence. The Arizona corrections record lists the individual convictions and imposed terms across several cases, including marijuana offenses, conspiracy, illegal enterprise, money laundering, weapons misconduct, narcotic drug violations and a 13-year aggravated-assault term. Those individual terms should not be added together without accounting for concurrent and consecutive sentencing. The terms as the record lists them: in a case from a June 2009 investigation, two marijuana violations and a marijuana conspiracy count at five years each, an illegal-enterprise count at three and a half years, and money laundering at two and a half years. In a companion case, misconduct involving weapons and three narcotic drug violations at two and a half years each. And for the January 2011 flight itself, aggravated assault: 13 years — the longest single term on the record.
He entered prison on October 11, 2012. The corrections record also shows a later conviction from inside: promoting prison contraband in 2016, which added a year and a half in 2017. The Arizona Department of Corrections currently projects his release for May 19, 2028, at the expiration of his sentence.
Deals has also alleged that the judge sentenced him twice despite a signed plea agreement, creating a prior conviction that affected his punishment.
That allegation is part of Deals's own account of the proceedings and should not be confused with an established judicial finding.
His family continues to dispute the underlying marijuana-sales allegation.
More than 14 years after he entered prison in October 2012, Deals remains incarcerated — held today at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Yuma, in the Cheyenne unit.
Arizona Legalized Cannabis While Deals Continued Serving His Sentence
In November 2020, Arizona voters approved Proposition 207, legalizing recreational cannabis in the state.
The decision created a legal market for a product connected to Deals's imprisonment.
But legalization did not automatically end his sentence.
Deals remained incarcerated as licensed cannabis businesses began operating under Arizona's new system.
The contrast became even more personal when his daughter entered the legal cannabis industry.
Her father's conviction, which had caused years of hardship for the family, became the reason she qualified for an opportunity under Arizona's cannabis social equity licensing program.
His Daughter Won a Cannabis License Because of His Conviction
Alicia Deals qualified for Arizona's social equity cannabis license lottery because of her father's criminal conviction.
In April 2022, she won one of the state's 26 social equity licenses.
She subsequently partnered with Berner and opened Arizona's first Cookies dispensary in Tempe.
Under the program, Alicia became the first Black woman to own and operate a cannabis dispensary in Arizona while retaining 100% equity in her business.
The achievement carried an unusual contradiction.
Her father was serving a lengthy prison sentence connected to cannabis, while his conviction helped make her eligible to participate in the state's newly legal cannabis industry.
Alicia also founded Sweet O'z, a cannabis distribution company.
But her business accomplishments did not replace her efforts to bring her father home.
She continued advocating for his release, turning the family's experience into a public campaign for clemency.
Alicia has described the transformation as turning the family's biggest burden into its biggest blessing.
Berner and Cookies Joined the Campaign to Free Robert Deals
In November 2023, the Last Prisoner Project launched the #FreeRobertDeals campaign in partnership with Berner and Cookies.
The campaign focused on securing clemency for Deals and drawing attention to the continued incarceration of people convicted in cannabis-related cases.
For Alicia, the effort became inseparable from her work in the cannabis industry.
"We are using the power of our growing voice to raise awareness about my dad's unjust sentence and to bring him home," she said.
The campaign brought together her role as a dispensary owner and her advocacy as a daughter seeking her father's freedom.
It also highlighted the contradiction at the center of the family's story: Arizona had created legal cannabis business opportunities, but Deals remained incarcerated under a sentence imposed years before legalization.
He Earned Around 200 Certificates and Continued His Ministry Behind Bars
During his incarceration, Deals has continued his religious and community work.
According to the Last Prisoner Project's interview with Alicia, he organizes Bible studies and mentors younger people in prison.
He has also completed numerous programs.
Alicia reported that her father collected approximately 200 program certificates for his clemency application.
Those records became part of the family's effort to demonstrate his activities and rehabilitation while incarcerated.
His ministry, mentoring and participation in prison programs are central elements of the clemency case his supporters have presented.
For Deals, prison has not ended the work he previously carried out as a minister and community advocate.
The Arizona Court of Appeals Denied His Third Petition in 2025
Deals continued challenging his conviction and sentence through Arizona's courts.
His third petition for post-conviction relief was denied.
On July 22, 2025, the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, issued its decision in State v. Deals, No. 1 CA-CR 25-0024 PRPC.
The appellate court granted review but denied relief.
That distinction matters.
The court agreed to review the petition but did not grant the legal remedy Deals sought.
After the Arizona Court of Appeals denied relief on his third post-conviction petition in July 2025, the family's advocacy has focused on executive clemency.
The Last Prisoner Project confirmed in April 2025 that Deals was still serving his sentence, and the state corrections record shows him in custody today.
He remains incarcerated.
The Fight Moves to Governor Katie Hobbs
The Last Prisoner Project and Deals's family are pursuing executive clemency from Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. Under Arizona law, a sentence commutation requires review and a favorable recommendation from the Board of Executive Clemency before the governor can grant relief. The materials reviewed do not establish whether Deals has received a Board hearing or recommendation.
The Last Prisoner Project's #FreeRobertDeals campaign is pressing both the board and Governor Hobbs to act.
Clemency offers a potential route to relief outside the court system.
However, submitting a clemency case does not guarantee a favorable recommendation or a decision to grant release.
No clemency approval has been established in the verified information.
For now, Deals remains in custody while his family and supporters continue advocating for his freedom.
How to Help Robert Deals
The Last Prisoner Project provides verified ways for the public to support Deals's clemency campaign.
Support the #FreeRobertDeals campaign: Visit lastprisonerproject.org/freerobertdeals for campaign information, updates and opportunities to participate.
Write to Governor Katie Hobbs: The Last Prisoner Project's Take Action page provides a route for submitting a clemency support letter urging consideration of Deals's case: lastprisonerproject.org/takeaction.
Sign the Justice for Robert Deals petition: The petition is hosted on Change.org and linked through the Last Prisoner Project's coverage of his case.
Write to Robert Deals himself: He is held at the Arizona State Prison Complex — Yuma, Cheyenne unit, ADC #275557. Since December 2025, Arizona routes personal letters through its Digital Processing Center — address them to: Robert Deals, ADC #275557, ASPC-Yuma, Cheyenne Unit, c/o Digital Processing Center, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, PO Box 211309, Dallas, TX 75211. Put his name and ADC number on the envelope and the letter.
Share his story: Use #FreeRobertDeals to raise awareness of his incarceration and the ongoing clemency campaign.
A Legal Cannabis Business on One Side, an 18-Year Sentence on the Other
Robert Deals's case reflects a contradiction that his daughter has spent years confronting.
Arizona legalized recreational cannabis in 2020.
In 2022, Alicia Deals won a social equity license because of her father's conviction and opened a legal Cookies dispensary in Tempe.
Meanwhile, her father continued serving his combined 18-year sentence.
He has now spent more than 14 years incarcerated, continued his ministry, mentored younger prisoners and assembled approximately 200 program certificates for his clemency application.
His third post-conviction petition ended without relief in 2025, and his supporters continue pursuing executive clemency.
In a 2025 interview with Veriheal, Deals described the family's experience in his own words:
"Our story is one of grace, calamity, pain, and suffering — but ultimately, one of resilience and victory."
For Alicia, the work of building a legal cannabis business has continued alongside the effort to bring her father home.
The state that imprisoned Robert Deals now licenses and regulates the cannabis industry in which his daughter operates.
Whether that same state will grant him clemency remains an unanswered question.
Read next
Kevin Allen: Two $10 Marijuana Sales Led to a Life Sentence in Louisianaarticles · Nov 7, 2026
Edwin Rubis: 28 Years in Prison for Cannabis, A 40-Year Sentence That Could Keep Him Behind Bars Into His Sixtiesarticles · Nov 5, 2026
Richardo Ashmeade: 20 Years Behind Bars, a 22-Year Sentence, and a Daughter Who Earned Her Law Degree to Bring Him Homearticles · Nov 9, 2026
Sources
- Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry — Inmate DataSearch record for Robert Deals, ADC #275557 (accessed November 8, 2026). The official custody record: ASPC-Yuma, Cheyenne unit; admitted October 11, 2012; the full breakdown of his imposed counts across the 2009–2012 Maricopa County cases (marijuana violations, conspiracy, illegal enterprise, money laundering, weapons misconduct, narcotic drug violations, and the 13-year aggravated assault term), the 2017 prison-contraband term, and the projected release date of May 19, 2028.
- State v. Deals. Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, No. 1 CA-CR 25-0024 PRPC, 22 July 2025. Primary judicial record. Documents the Maricopa County criminal case, CR2011-102084-003, and the appellate court's decision granting review but denying relief on Deals's third post-conviction petition. Establishes the procedural history of his unsuccessful post-conviction challenge.
- Last Prisoner Project. "#FreeRobertDeals." Last Prisoner Project, https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/freerobertdeals. Primary advocacy campaign. Provides the organization's account of the undercover cannabis operation, Deals's flight and military-related PTSD, and the campaign seeking clemency through the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency and Governor Katie Hobbs.
- Last Prisoner Project. "Cookies Dispensary Owner Alicia Deals Fights to Free Her Father Robert Deals." Last Prisoner Project. Family interview and advocacy source. Documents Alicia's account of approximately 22 months in county jail without sentence credit, her father's ministry and youth mentoring, approximately 200 program certificates, and available petition and letter-writing routes. Family claims are attributed rather than presented as independent court findings.
- Last Prisoner Project and Ben & Jerry's. "4/20 For Freedom." 17 Apr. 2025. Custody-status confirmation. Confirms that Deals was still serving his prison sentence in April 2025 and identifies his case within a broader clemency advocacy effort.
- "Launch of the #FreeRobertDeals Campaign with Cookies and Berner." Business Wire, 29 Nov. 2023. Campaign announcement. Documents the launch of the clemency campaign involving the Last Prisoner Project, Cookies and Berner.
- "Smoke & Mirrors." Phoenix Magazine, 2 Nov. 2025. Social equity licensing context. Explains how Alicia Deals qualified for Arizona's cannabis social equity license lottery because of her father's conviction, connecting the family's experience to the state's legal cannabis licensing system.
- "How Do Cannabis Prisoners Define Justice?" Veriheal, 2025. First-person account. Contains Deals's statements about his sentencing experience, his claims concerning sentence credit and double sentencing, and his reflection on resilience and the family's experience. These are presented as his account, not independently adjudicated findings.
- "How Did Social Equity Program Impact Arizona Cannabis Industry?" AZ Big Media. Licensing and business history. Provides context for Deals's 2012 sentencing, Alicia's opening of the Tempe Cookies dispensary and her retention of 100% equity in the business.
Cover photo: Robert Deals with his daughter Alicia, family photo via the Last Prisoner Project’s #FreeRobertDeals campaign.
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