Father and Son Face Federal Charges After Student's Death; Kratom Products Linked to Two Ole Miss Overdoses

Federal prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint against a father and son who worked at a Mississippi smoke shop in connection with the death of an Ole Miss student and the discovery of similar suspected substances in a second student’s death.

Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and his son Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, were named in the complaint announced by U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary for the Northern District of Mississippi. Both are charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in connection with the death of freshman Aidan Hamilton.

Strang family | Brian Comerford - PHOTO: Robert Strang, from Atlanta, was in his junior year at Ole Miss. | Aiden Hamilton, from Colorado, was in his freshman year at Ole Miss.

Deaths, Evidence and Investigations

Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colorado, was found dead on the University of Mississippi campus on Sept. 21. Investigators reported finding "packages, some with missing tablets, of suspected kratom derivatives" at the scene. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the cause of death "appeared to be consistent with a drug overdose."

About an hour later, junior Robert Strang, from Atlanta, was discovered dead at a different campus location. Authorities said they also recovered packages described as suspected kratom derivatives in that case and that Strang’s death likewise appeared consistent with an overdose. Toxicology testing for both students is ongoing.

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images - PHOTO: The Lyceum, oldest building on the campus of the University of Mississippi, April 12, 2008, in Oxford, Miss.

Searches, Purchases and Seizures

According to the federal complaint, the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit traced Hamilton’s bank records to several purchases at Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store in Oxford. After an undercover informant purchased pills advertised as "7 O Kratom" pills, officers executed a search warrant at the store on Sept. 24 and seized more than 500 suspected kratom units. Mississippi investigators arrested the father and son during that operation and charged them with possession of Schedule I controlled substances with intent to distribute.

Investigators also reviewed Strang’s financial records and identified purchases at Express Mart #7, a convenience store in Yalobusha County. Officers later bought similar pills from that store and sent them to crime labs for analysis; as of the latest announcement, no charges had been filed against anyone connected to that business.

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images - PHOTO: Walk of Champions area on the campus of the University of Mississippi, April 12, 2008, in Oxford, Miss.

Health Risks and Local Rules

Kratom products contain chemicals that can increase alertness, energy and sociability at lower doses and cause sedating effects at higher doses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned that kratom — particularly concentrated synthetic 7‑OH derivatives — carries risks, including addiction, mental health issues and other serious adverse effects. The city of Oxford has banned the sale, possession and consumption of kratom since 2019.

Attorney contact information for the defendants was not immediately available. The investigation remains active, and officials say toxicology and laboratory analyses are ongoing.