Oxford kratom seizure follows deaths of two Ole Miss students; no link established

Oxford authorities arrested two smoke shop employees and seized more than 500 units of kratom near the University of Mississippi, The Independent reported on September 26. The action followed the deaths of two students whose separate death investigations both found packaged kratom. Authorities have not established that the store supplied those packages or that kratom contributed to either death.

The distinction matters as investigators await answers about what caused the deaths of Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20. Lafayette County Metro Narcotics has said it has no confirmed information that kratom or any other substance contributed to either death. The presence of a package at a scene does not, by itself, identify what a person consumed or what caused a death.

What happened at the store

The Independent identified the arrested Oxford residents as Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18. It reported that both were booked on charges of possession of Schedule I controlled substances with intent to distribute. Those charges are allegations; the reporting does not establish that either person is guilty.

Officers seized more than 500 units of kratom, along with THC cartridges, gummies and other suspected narcotics, during a raid on Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store, according to The Independent. The shop is about a mile from the Ole Miss campus. The reported seizure concerns the store investigation; investigators have not established that any seized product came from either student's death scene.

What is known about the students' deaths

Hamilton and Strang were found dead in separate incidents on September 21. ABC News reported that the university identified Hamilton as a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and Strang as a junior from Atlanta. Their deaths prompted condolences from the university and requests from their families for privacy.

Investigators said packages described as kratom sold from a retail store were found during both death inquiries, according to ABC News. They also said the cases were separate and urged the public not to speculate. The published accounts do not identify the packages' precise contents, strength or source, or show that they matched products seized from Puffs.

ABC News reported that the causes of death had not been determined. Mississippi state agencies were helping local authorities expedite toxicology reports, it said. Until those findings and the investigations provide firmer answers, neither the recovered packages nor the later shop raid establishes a cause of death or a connection between the two cases.

What kratom is, and why officials are concerned

Kratom comes from a tree native to Southeast Asia and has traditionally been consumed as leaves or tea. In the United States it is sold in forms including pills, powders and liquids, the BBC reported. Those products can differ substantially from traditional leaf preparations, a distinction that matters when assessing their possible effects.

Kratom contains compounds that interact with opioid receptors. The BBC reported that people use it for effects ranging from stimulation at lower doses to opioid-like effects at higher doses. It also reported concerns about dependence, withdrawal and adverse effects. Those general risks do not establish what, if anything, happened in the Oxford deaths.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis offers broader context: U.S. poison centers recorded 14,449 kratom exposure reports from 2015 through 2025. Annual reports rose from 258 in 2015 to 3,434 in 2025, an increase of about 1,200%. A report records an actual or suspected exposure that prompted a poison-center consultation; it is not a finding that kratom caused harm in every case.

The CDC analysis found that 184 of 233 kratom-associated deaths reported during that period involved multiple substances. Researchers also described a shift toward concentrated, high-potency products. Those findings show why identifying substances and formulations matters, but population-level surveillance cannot determine what caused Hamilton's or Strang's death.

For Oxford investigators, the unanswered questions remain specific: what caused each student's death, what the recovered packages contained, and whether either package has any connection to the store. The criminal case against the two employees and the death investigations remain separate matters in the cited reporting.