Two employees of an Oxford smoke shop are facing federal drug charges after investigators seized more than 500 units of synthetic kratom. The search followed the deaths of two University of Mississippi students and a separate suspected overdose in the area.
Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, were found dead on September 21 after police received separate calls reporting that each man was unresponsive and possibly suffering from an overdose.
At both locations, investigators recovered pills they believed could contain kratom or synthetic kratom.
The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Department said Thursday that Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, had been charged federally with possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Both men worked at Puffs Vape Tobacco and Beer Store in Oxford, near the university campus.
Oxford police searched the store after receiving reports that illegal substances were allegedly being sold there. Officers said they found kratom products, THC cartridges and other suspected narcotics during the search.
‘Today’s federal court proceedings represent another step in an investigation that remains active and ongoing. Law enforcement has not stopped working this case,’ the narcotics department said.
‘Investigators continue to review evidence and pursue additional information, and additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation develops.’
Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, faces federal charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute
Islam Mohamed, 18, also faces federal charges after officers recovered more than 500 units of synthetic kratom at the Mississippi smoke shop where he worked
Officials said kratom, pictured here, was recovered during both investigations into the deaths at Ole Miss
Hamilton, a freshman from Colorado, was found inside Stewart Hall on campus. Emergency crews performed CPR, but he could not be saved.
Strang, a junior from Georgia, was found at an off-campus residence on Van Buren Avenue.
A criminal affidavit obtained by ABC News said Hamilton’s bank records showed that he made several purchases at Puffs Vape Tobacco and Beer, including one on the day he died.
Three days after the students were found, a police informant went undercover and reported buying pills described as being kratom-based from the store.
‘The clerk told the informant to be careful taking the pills, because people were dying from them,’ the affidavit read.
Narcotics officers searched the business later that day and seized alleged kratom products valued at $1,799, according to the affidavit.
Forensic testing later confirmed that some of the seized pills contained kratom, the document stated.
Investigators also alleged that Strang bought pills containing kratom at a nearby gas station, Express Mart #7.
According to the affidavit, those purchases were made on September 9 and 11. Officers bought similar pills and submitted them to a forensic laboratory for testing. No employees of Express Mart have been arrested.
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Toxicology reports on the two students are ongoing. An official cause or manner of death has yet to be released.
Robert Strang, a 20-year-old from Atlanta, is the older of the two victims
Aidan Hamilton, an 18-year-old freshman from Colorado, was the second student to die under suspicious circumstances. Picture source: Kathie Mac Donald Hamilton/Facebook
Also on Thursday, Oxford Police announced another suspected overdose of a 22-year-old on Sweetgum Lane, which is about five miles from the university.
The individual was not a student, and police do not believe the incident is related to the university.
Authorities responded around 5am and found the individual unresponsive. Emergency responders revived him on the scene and rushed him to the hospital. Police said he is expected to survive.
Officers learned that the individual also possessed synthetic kratom products, although they were not believed to have been purchased in Oxford.
‘The Oxford Police Department is once again warning the public about the serious and potentially deadly dangers associated with synthetic kratom products,’ police said.
‘Synthetic and manufactured kratom products can contain powerful and unpredictable substances.’
The department added that the recent incident is not connected to the ongoing investigation into the two students’ deaths.
Kratom is derived from a Southeast Asian tree and can produce stimulant-like effects at lower doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. It is sometimes marketed for energy, pain relief or managing opioid withdrawal.
Robert Strang is seen here in a post made by the Ole Miss Phi Delt Alumni showcasing their Rush Chairs for 2026. Picture source: Ole Miss Phi Delt Alumni/Facebook
The Lyceum, oldest building on the campus of the University of Mississippi on April 12, 2008 in Oxford
Oxford, Mississippi Mayor Robyn Tannehill warned that taking kratom is like ‘rolling the dice on death’ as the community reels from the deaths of two Ole Miss students
‘To take kratom is really rolling the dice on death,’ Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill told Fox News after the campus tragedy.
‘That sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth. And so our challenge right now is to make our young people understand the dangers of these drugs.’
Tannehill said Oxford officials had been concerned about kratom for years and moved to restrict its sale locally in 2019 after the city’s police chief raised the alarm.
The mayor said authorities were continuing to hunt for people willing to illegally supply potentially dangerous substances to young people.
‘We are always trying to find the bad actors in our community that are choosing to sell these things to kids,’ she said.
The mayor added that the loss of the two students deeply impacted the community, and her heart broke for their loved ones.