Two Ole Miss students were found dead on September 21, and on Friday court papers revealed what prosecutors believe killed them: kratom-derived pills sold at an Oxford vape shop.
Aidan Hamilton, 18, died from combined substance use that included cough syrup. Robert Strang, 20, died from inhalation asphyxiation. Toxicology found the same three substances in both of them: mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and 7-OH, all matching the SMAX Pseudo-DHM pills.
The pills traced back to Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer in Oxford. A father and son who worked the counter, Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, are now facing federal charges for possession with intent to distribute. Investigators say Hamilton bought the pills there twice. When an informant bought pills at the store after the deaths, Yahya warned him to be careful taking them because people were dying from them. Agents later raided the shop and seized more than 500 kratom units.
“[Yahya] told the informant to be careful taking these pills because people were dying from them.”
Federal complaint, per the NY Post
Yahya is being held while the case plays out. His son got out on a $20,000 bond. The store’s owner, Amer Alowdi, was indicted for trafficking in 2022 and is believed to have fled the country.
An 18-year-old and a 20-year-old went to a vape shop and never came home. The pills were sold right out from under the register.
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