Store clerk, son charged with selling illegal kratom after Ole Miss student deaths

In September 2023, two University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) students, Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang, were found dead after overdosing on substances believed to be synthetic kratom derivatives. The deaths prompted an investigation by the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Department and the DEA.

On September 24, investigators obtained a search warrant for a smoke shop in Oxford, Mississippi, named Puffs Vape Tobacco and Beer Store, where they discovered over 500 units of synthetic kratom. The store clerk, Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, aged 51, and his son, Islam Mohamed, 18, were subsequently arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

The substances found near the students' bodies included pills labeled as Smax Pseudo-DHM, which contain ingredients like pseudoindoxyl. The DEA had temporarily scheduled mitragynine pseudoindoxyl in Schedule I on August 26, banning its sale due to health risks.

While it remains unclear if these synthetic derivatives directly caused the deaths, officials suspect drug overdoses and are awaiting toxicology reports. Law enforcement continues to investigate potential further charges.