The cause of death for two University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) students was revealed in court proceedings on October 9: 18-year-old Aidan Hamilton died from the combined use of various substances, including cough syrup, while 20-year-old Robert Strang died from inhalation asphyxiation. Both were found dead on September 21 with the same three substances linked to synthetic kratom products in their systems.
According to WMC, the disclosure came during court proceedings for two men charged with selling narcotics, when one defendant's attorney stated the causes of death. The toxicology report has not been made public, but court records show both victims had the same three substances present — Mitrogynine, MGM-15 and MGPI — all featured in Smax Mango Breeze pills.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi announced federal charges against Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in connection with Hamilton's death. The pair worked at a smoke shop in Oxford; investigators allege the shop sold Hamilton the pills twice in the days before his death, while Strang bought his from a different store 20 miles away.
A federal judge ruled the elder Mosleh will remain in custody, finding he is a flight risk with ties to another country. The younger Mosleh was granted a $20,000 bond with conditions including a curfew and location monitoring. The store's owner, Amer Alowdi, is believed to have fled to Egypt.
After the deaths, Lafayette County Metro Narcotics agents sent a confidential informant into Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store to investigate. The clerk confirmed the store sold "7-OH kratom-based pills" and warned the informant to "be careful taking the pills, because people are dying from them." Police then executed a search warrant and seized 500 units of kratom and kratom-like products, plus THC cartridges, gummies and pre-rolls. Detectives found the same brand of Smax Mango Breeze MGM-15 pills, with identical packaging and a matching price tag, that had been found near Hamilton.
A policy expert with the American Kratom Association pointed out that ingredients in the products, including pseudoindoxyl, have been federally illegal since August. Kratom sales have been banned in Oxford since 2019 and in Lafayette County since 2021. The mayor of Oxford had previously warned that kratom is "rolling the dice on death." The cost of two young lives has pushed the gray-market trade in synthetic kratom products at gas stations and smoke shops into the spotlight.