Vape store clerks face federal drug charges after tracing purchases made by dead Ole Miss students

Key Points:

• Two Oxford, Mississippi vape store clerks, Yahya Mohamed Mosleh and Islam Yahya Mosleh, face federal drug charges for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances linked to purchases made by two deceased University of Mississippi students.
• Investigators traced purchases of suspected kratom products made by students Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang at local stores, with similar kratom packaging found at both death scenes, though toxicology results are still pending.
• Authorities seized over 500 suspected kratom-related products and other THC substances from Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store, where undercover operations confirmed the sale of kratom-based pills despite known risks.
• Kratom has been federally illegal since August 2023 and banned in Oxford since 2019, with Lafayette County enacting its own ban in 2021; the specific kratom-like substance found is reportedly linked to narcotic effects and fatalities.
• The Moslehs are not accused of causing the students' deaths, but their arrests highlight ongoing concerns about illicit sales of kratom and synthetic substances in local vape shops.