A store clerk and his son have been charged with selling an illegal kratom product as federal authorities investigate the deaths of two University of Mississippi students, prosecutors said Friday. A drug task force in Mississippi had previously urged people to avoid kratom—an herbal substance that acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses—after authorities found packages of kratom derivatives while investigating the deaths on Sept. 21.
It remains unclear whether those substances contributed to either death, but federal prosecutors noted both appear consistent with drug overdoses. Two state agencies were working to expedite toxicology reports for the students, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves stated. Lafayette County Metro Narcotics reported that the investigation remained active and additional charges were possible.
Bank records show one of the students, Aidan Hamilton, made multiple purchases in September from a vape, tobacco and beer store in Oxford, Mississippi, where the university is located, according to a federal court filing. On Sept. 24, an informant sent to the store by investigators purchased kratom-based pills from the clerk, Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, who warned the informant to be careful taking the pills because people were dying from them, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Michael Dassance stated in an affidavit.
Authorities subsequently arrested Mosleh along with his 18-year-old son, Islam Yahya Mosleh, who was working at the store. Each faces one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, the Justice Department announced. Attorneys for the defendants declined to comment. The defendants appeared before a magistrate judge, who ruled there was sufficient evidence to charge them.
Kratom, which originates from a tree native to Southeast Asia, is legal at the federal level. However, some state and local governments have banned it, and federal authorities have issued warnings about its risks. Proponents assert that in its pure, ground-leaf form, kratom is a safe herbal supplement that can help manage pain, anxiety, and depression, while critics and investigators point to dangers from synthetic derivatives.
In August, the DEA banned three kratom-related compounds. In his affidavit, the DEA agent noted that one of the banned compounds was listed as an ingredient in products seized from the Oxford store and Hamilton’s room. Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and the other student who died, Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta, were found in different locations, one on campus and the other off campus. Investigators found opened packages of a kratom product labeled ‘Smax’ in both student rooms, establishing a suspected link to the store where the Moslehs worked. Eleven states have banned kratom, while others, including Mississippi, have regulated its sale by requiring buyers to be 21 or older. The city of Oxford has also implemented its own kratom ban.
Source: cbsnews.com
