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Shop clerk and son charged with selling illegal kratom after two Ole Miss students die from suspected overdoses
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- Federal authorities have charged a store clerk, Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, and his son with selling illegal kratom products following the deaths of two University of Mississippi students, Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang, which appear consistent with drug overdoses.
- Investigators found kratom derivatives, including banned synthetic compounds, in the students’ possessions and seized products from the Oxford store where Hamilton purchased kratom-based pills.
- The DEA affidavit revealed that Mosleh warned an informant about the dangers of the pills, advising caution as "people were dying from them," and concealed the products during the sale.
- Kratom is federally legal but banned or regulated in several states and cities, including Oxford, Mississippi; the DEA banned three kratom-related compounds in August due to safety concerns.
- Toxicology reports are pending to determine the role of kratom substances in the students’ deaths, and the investigation remains active with potential for additional charges.
