Ole Miss Student Bought Kratom from Raided Store Amid Warnings of Fatalities
Court documents reveal a deceased Ole Miss freshman purchased kratom from a store recently raided by authorities, where employees allegedly warned undercover officers about the dangers of the substance.
A freshman at the University of Mississippi, Aidan Hamilton, 18, purchased kratom from a local smoke shop that has since been raided, according to court documents. Hamilton had visited the Puffs smoke shop in Oxford on September 9 and September 14 to buy Smax Pseudo-DHM, a form of the herbal supplement that is illegal to sell in the state. His final purchase occurred one week before his death.
This marks the first explicit link between the Puffs store and the ongoing investigation into the sudden deaths of Hamilton and fellow Ole Miss student Robert Strang, 20. Strang was also found dead in his off-campus accommodation on the same day as Hamilton, with a packet of Smax on his nightstand.
During an undercover operation at the Puffs store, an employee reportedly cautioned officers about taking the kratom pills, stating that "people were dying from them." Authorities seized over 500 units of kratom, THC cartridges, and other suspected narcotics from the store. Kratom has been banned for sale in Oxford since 2019.
Store employees Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. The store's owner, Amer Alowdi, who was previously indicted for narcotics trafficking in 2022, had fled the U.S. before prosecution.
Robert Strang had purchased his Smax packet from an Express Mart #7 store in Yalobusha County, not Puffs.
The exact role kratom played in the students' deaths is still under investigation. Toxicology results are expected within two weeks. Strang's family stated he passed away peacefully in his sleep, while Hamilton's family remembered him as someone who loved the outdoors. The university has offered counseling services to its students.