Two University of Mississippi students were found dead earlier this week with packaged kratom discovered at both scenes. Now, authorities have arrested two men and seized hundreds of units of kratom and other suspected narcotics from an Oxford business allegedly selling illegal substances.
The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant Thursday at Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store on Heritage Drive after investigators conducted a controlled purchase of illegal substances from the business, according to a Friday news release.
Authorities said they recovered more than 500 units of kratom, along with THC cartridges, gummies, and other suspected narcotics. Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, both living in Oxford, were arrested and charged with possession of Schedule I controlled substances with intent to distribute. Kratom has been prohibited from possession, distribution, and sale within Oxford since 2019.
The raid comes just days after the deaths of two Ole Miss students in separate incidents. The university identified the students Thursday as Aidan Hamilton, an 18-year-old freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and Robert Strang, a 20-year-old junior from Atlanta. Hamilton was found at a residence hall on campus, while Strang was found at an off-campus home, according to the Lafayette County coroner.
Packaged kratom purchased from a retail store was discovered during both death investigations, but authorities have repeatedly stressed that they have not established that kratom caused either death or that the two deaths are connected.
Police have not said that the two men arrested Thursday supplied the substances found at either death scene, nor have they publicly tied the deaths to the Puffs store. The store’s owner, however, has faced narcotics charges before.
According to Metro Narcotics Unit, owner Amer Alowdi, 40, was indicted in 2022 on narcotics trafficking charges but fled the country before he could be prosecuted. His current whereabouts have not been made public.
Authorities said the investigation remains active and that additional charges could be forthcoming. “These individuals and this business are not necessarily the only people involved in the illegal distribution of these products,” the Metro Narcotics Unit said, warning that the arrests may not be the last as investigators continue their enforcement efforts.
The arrests come as Mississippi authorities are already warning about the potential dangers of increasingly potent kratom-derived products. Federal officials have recently taken action against concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a potent compound derived from the kratom plant, while authorities continue to investigate whether any substance played a role in the Ole Miss deaths.
For now, the circumstances surrounding Hamilton’s and Strang’s deaths remain unresolved. Toxicology and other investigative work will be necessary to determine what happened to the two students.
