Mississippi vape shop clerks charged federally after linking student purchases to deaths
Two Oxford, Mississippi vape store employees have been charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance after investigators linked their sales to two University of Mississippi students who later died.
Federal investigators have charged Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, of an Oxford vape shop with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The charges stem from purchases made by University of Mississippi students Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, prior to their deaths, according to court documents.
A DEA affidavit cites bank records that connect Hamilton to purchases at Puffs Vape Tobacco & Beer and Strang to Express Mart #7. Similar suspected kratom products were later recovered at both death scenes. Law-enforcement officials also reported undercover purchases and the seizure of more than 500 items believed to be kratom-related from the Oxford store.
Lafayette County Metro Narcotics, part of the sheriff’s office, said packaging associated with kratom-related products was found at both locations, but stopped short of confirming the presence of kratom itself near the students.
"During the investigations, packaging associated with kratom-related products was discovered at both locations," the statement read.
The medical examiner’s toxicology results were still pending at the time of the September 25 affidavit. American Kratom Association senior fellow on public policy Mac Haddow told a press conference that the substance found near the students is illegal, noting that kratom has been prohibited federally since August and in Oxford since 2019, with Lafayette County bans dating to 2021.
Court filings indicate the students were found with packages labeled “Smax, Pseudo-DHM” tablets, described as a kratom-like substance sold at gas stations and tobacco shops for its narcotic-like effect. One purchase at Puffs Vape occurred the day before Hamilton’s death.
An informant who visited the store asked about “7 O Kratom based pills.” A clerk reportedly responded affirmatively, retrieved a package from a drawer, and cautioned the informant to keep quiet and be careful, saying people were dying from the pills. Over 500 units of kratom, along with THC cartridges, gummies, pre-rolls, and other suspected THC products, were seized from the shop.
The clerks are not accused of involvement in the students’ deaths, and the investigation continues pending toxicology results.