A chilling warning echoed from within an Oxford, Mississippi vape store, where a clerk allegedly alerted a confidential informant that “people were dying” from the very kratom pills being sold, according to court documents that have surfaced following the tragic deaths of two University of Mississippi students. Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, were discovered deceased on September 21st, each in possession of similar packages of kratom or a synthetic kratom variant labeled “Smax, Pseudo-DHM” tablets, substances known for their narcotic-like effects. Hamilton had made multiple purchases at Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store in September, with one transaction occurring just a day before he was found dead, leading to the arrest of store workers Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, on charges of controlled substance possession with intent to distribute. When the informant inquired about “7 O Kratom based pills,” a clerk, identified as Mosleh in the affidavit, confirmed their availability, produced a package from under the register, and crucially, advised the informant to “be quiet” about the pills and to exercise extreme caution due to reported fatalities. The store was subsequently found to be in possession of over 500 units of kratom, alongside various THC products. While the kratom found with Hamilton was not definitively linked to the store in court documents, and Strang’s synthetic kratom was reportedly purchased from a gas station miles away, the clerk’s explicit warning about the lethal potential of the kratom sold at Puffs Vape raises grave concerns about the substance’s role in the ongoing investigation into the students’ deaths, with officials still working to determine the exact cause.
Adapted from: U.S. News Today on Fox News
