Charges have been filed in connection with the type of drugs allegedly found in the rooms of two Ole Miss students who were found dead.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Mississippi said a store clerk and his son were arrested after they found a possible link between kratom found at the scene of one of the students’ deaths and substances sold at a local vape, tobacco, and beer store, The Associated Press reported.
The clerk was identified as Yahya Mosleh, 51. His son was identified as Islam Mosleh, 18. They have been charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, officials said in a news release.
The suspected kratom derivatives have been seized as well.
The U.S. Attorney said that law enforcement found packages of suspected kratom derivatives in both students’ rooms.
“Law enforcement identified a suspected link between the kratom derivative substance packages and a local vape, tobacco and beer store, and has executed several search warrants in connection with this investigation. Store clerk Yahya Mosleh and his son, Islam Mosleh, have been arrested and suspected kratom derivative controlled substances have been seized from the store,” officials said in a news release.
It is not known if the substance contributed to the death of either student, but both deaths, prosecutors said, appeared to be consistent with overdoses.
The toxicology reports are pending, but Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said that state agencies are trying to expedite them, the AP reported.
Kratom is a plant-based product that is known for stimulant and pain-relieving effects in low doses. In high doses, it is an opiate-like sedative.
Kratom derivatives such as MGPI, MGM-15, and MGM-16 are now Schedule I controlled substances and are more potent than natural kratom leaf products and morphine. They are sometimes called “gas station heroin,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Kratom is legal at the federal level, but 11 states have banned it. Mississippi regulates it, allowing only people 21 or older to buy it; however, Oxford, Mississippi, and Lafayette County, where the university is located, have banned it, according to the AP.
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