Key facts
- A store clerk and his son were charged with selling illegal kratom.
- Two University of Mississippi students died from suspected drug overdoses.
- Kratom derivatives were found in the students' rooms.
- The clerk warned an informant about the dangers of the kratom pills.
- The DEA has previously banned certain kratom-related compounds.
- Kratom is legal federally but banned or regulated in some states and cities.
Federal authorities have charged a store clerk and his son with selling illegal kratom products following the suspected overdose deaths of two University of Mississippi students. The charges were announced on Friday by prosecutors.
The Lafayette county metro narcotics unit said on Thursday that the investigation remained active and additional charges were possible. The University of Mississippi is located in Oxford, Mississippi.
Bank records indicate one of the deceased students, Aidan Hamilton, made multiple purchases in September from a vape, tobacco and beer store in Oxford. On September 24, an informant purchased kratom-based pills from the clerk, 51-year-old Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, who reportedly warned the informant to "be careful taking the pills because people were dying from them," according to a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) affidavit.
Authorities subsequently detained Mosleh and his son, 18-year-old Islam Yahya Mosleh, who was working at the store, and charged them with one count of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. Attorneys for both defendants declined to comment.
Kratom, an herbal substance from Southeast Asia, is legal at the federal level but has been banned or regulated by some state and local governments due to safety concerns. Federal authorities have issued warnings about its risks, particularly concerning kratom derivatives which can be highly potent. In August, the DEA banned three kratom-related compounds, one of which was identified as an ingredient in products seized from the Oxford store and Hamilton's room. The Mississippi governor's office stated that toxicology reports for the students were being expedited.
Hamilton, a freshman, and the other student, Robert Strang, a junior, were found in separate locations. Investigators found opened packages of kratom or synthetic kratom, labeled "Smax," in Hamilton’s room, and a package of Smax was also found in Strang’s room, though he reportedly purchased it from a different store. The city of Oxford also has its own kratom ban.