Crime01 October, 20262 min read
Federal Prosecutors Charge Yahya Mohamed Mosleh and Son Islam Mosleh With Selling Kratom Linked to Ole Miss Death
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Federal charges allege selling illegal kratom linked to a Ole Miss student’s death. Authorities linked the kratom derivative at the death scene to a local vape shop.
Kratom Charges After Deaths
Federal prosecutors charged store clerk Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and his son Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, with selling kratom thought to be tied to the death of a University of Mississippi student, prosecutors announced Friday.
The U.S. attorney's office in Mississippi said authorities established a link between the kratom derivative found at the scene of the student's death and a local vape, tobacco and beer store.
Federal prosecutors said it was still not clear whether kratom contributed to either death, but the prosecutors said both deaths appear consistent with drug overdoses.
Two University of Mississippi students were found Sept. 21 in different locations, one on campus and the other off campus, as two state agencies worked to expedite toxicology reports.
The investigation centered on kratom derivatives found while authorities investigated the deaths, after a drug task force in Mississippi urged people to avoid kratom.
Affidavit, Purchases, and Warnings
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Michael Dassance said in an affidavit that an informant sent to the store by investigators purchased kratom-based pills from Mosleh on Sept. 24.
Dassance said Mosleh warned the informant to "be careful taking the pills because people were dying from them," as the affidavit described the sale.
Bank records showed that Aidan Hamilton made multiple purchases in September from a vape, tobacco and beer store in Oxford, Mississippi, according to a federal court filing.
Investigators found opened packages of kratom, or synthetic kratom, labeled "Smax" in Hamilton's room with some pills missing, and investigators also found a package of Smax in Robert Strang's room.
The U.S. attorney's office said the cause of death appeared to be consistent with a drug overdose, while the investigation remained active and additional charges were possible.
Local Bans and Next Steps
Federal authorities said kratom is legal at the federal level, but 11 states have banned it, and others including Mississippi have regulated it by requiring people to be 21 or older to buy it.
“Kratom is legal at the federal level, but 11 states have banned it.”
The city of Oxford and Lafayette County, where the University of Mississippi is located, have bans in place, as prosecutors pursued a case tied to the deaths of Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang.
The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit said Thursday the investigation remained active and additional charges were possible, as two state agencies worked to expedite toxicology reports.
The U.S. attorney's office in Mississippi said it executed several search warrants and arrested the store clerk and his son, after authorities established the link to a local vape, tobacco and beer store.
The charges stemmed from authorities finding packages of kratom derivatives while investigating the deaths on Sept. 21, with prosecutors saying they had no evidence the deaths were connected.