Mississippi Vape Store Clerks Charged Federally After Students' Deaths

Two Oxford, Mississippi, vape store clerks have been charged with federal drug offenses, authorities announced, in connection with the deaths of two University of Mississippi students. Yahya Mohamed Mosleh and Islam Yahya Mosleh are each charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

According to a Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit, bank records linked one of the deceased students, Aidan Hamilton, to purchases at Puffs Vape Tobacco & Beer. Investigators later recovered packaging associated with kratom-related products at the death scenes of both Hamilton and Robert Strang. Lafayette County Metro Narcotics stated that packaging was discovered at both locations but stopped short of confirming kratom itself was found.

Officials also described undercover purchases and the seizure of more than 500 suspected kratom-related products from the Oxford vape shop. The affidavit noted that toxicology results from the medical examiner were still pending as of Sept. 25.

The charges follow the September deaths of Hamilton, 18, and Strang, 20. Court documents stated that both students were found with similar packages of synthetic kratom products. The Moslehs are not accused of causing the students' deaths.

The packaging on the items found near the students was labeled "Smax, Pseudo-DHM" tablets, described in court documents as a "Kratom-like substance at gas stations or tobacco shops" sought for its "narcotic-like effect."

Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, were arrested on a state-level charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Court documents did not definitively establish that the kratom found near Hamilton originated from the Puffs Vape store.

One of Hamilton's purchases at the store occurred the day before he was found deceased. Court records indicate that a confidential informant inquired at the store about "7 O Kratom based pills." A clerk reportedly responded affirmatively and produced a package of kratom from a drawer beneath the register. The clerk, identified as Mosleh, allegedly cautioned the informant to be quiet about the pills and to be careful using them, stating that "people were dying from them."

Beyond the kratom, investigators seized over 500 units of kratom from the vape store, along with THC cartridges, gummies, pre-rolled substances, and other suspected THC products. The American Kratom Association has stated that the sale and possession of kratom have been federally illegal since August, and illegal in Oxford and Lafayette County since 2019 and 2021, respectively.