Two men are in custody after authorities raided an Oxford, Mississippi vape shop and seized more than 500 units of kratom and other suspected narcotics — days after two University of Mississippi students were found lifeless with packaged kratom at both scenes.
The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant Thursday at Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store on Heritage Drive. Investigators had conducted a controlled purchase of illegal substances from the business before the raid, according to a Friday news release from Oxford Police. The controlled buy is a standard investigative technique that allows law enforcement to establish probable cause before seeking a warrant from a judge.
Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, both living in Oxford, were arrested and charged with possession of Schedule I controlled substances with intent to distribute. Under Mississippi law, possession with intent to distribute carries significantly harsher penalties than simple possession, with sentences that can range from several years to decades depending on the substance and quantity involved.
Authorities recovered more than 500 units of kratom, along with THC cartridges, gummies, and other suspected narcotics.
Kratom has been prohibited from possession, distribution, and sale within Oxford city limits since 2019. The local ban came as city officials grew concerned about the substance’s growing availability in retail stores and gas stations, even as it remained legal under both state and federal law. Oxford is one of several Mississippi municipalities that have enacted local kratom bans, giving the college town stricter regulations than the surrounding county or state.
The raid comes just days after the tragic deaths of two Ole Miss students in separate incidents. The university identified the students Thursday as Aidan Hamilton, an 18-year-old freshman from Englewood, Colorado, and Robert Strang, a 20-year-old junior from Atlanta. The deaths have shaken the campus community and prompted urgent safety warnings from university administrators.
Hamilton was found at a residence hall on campus. Strang was found at an off-campus home, according to the Lafayette County coroner. The two incidents occurred within a short time frame of each other, though authorities have not provided specific dates or timelines for either discovery.
Packaged kratom purchased from a retail store was discovered during both death investigations. Authorities have repeatedly stressed that they have not established that kratom caused either death or that the two deaths are connected. Medical examiners will need to complete full toxicology panels, a process that typically takes weeks or even months, before any conclusions can be drawn about what substances may have been present in the students’ systems or what role those substances may have played.
Police have not said that the two men arrested Thursday supplied the substances found at either death scene, nor have they publicly tied the deaths to the Puffs store. The timing of the arrests so soon after the deaths has raised questions in the community, but investigators have been careful not to draw explicit connections without evidence to support such claims.
But the store’s owner has faced narcotics charges before.
According to the Metro Narcotics Unit, owner Amer Alowdi, 40, was indicted in 2022 on narcotics trafficking charges but fled the country before he could be prosecuted. His current whereabouts have not been made public. The fact that the business continued operating despite the owner’s fugitive status has raised questions about regulatory oversight and business licensing procedures in Oxford.
Authorities said the investigation remains active and that additional charges could be forthcoming.
“These individuals and this business are not necessarily the only people involved in the illegal distribution of these products.”
The Metro Narcotics Unit warned that the arrests may not be the last as investigators continue their enforcement efforts. The statement suggests authorities believe there may be a broader network of illegal kratom distribution operating in the Oxford area, potentially involving multiple retail locations or suppliers.
The arrests come as Mississippi authorities are already warning about the potential dangers of increasingly potent kratom-derived products. Federal officials have recently taken action against concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, a potent compound derived from the kratom plant. These concentrated extracts can be significantly more powerful than traditional kratom leaf products, raising concerns among health officials and law enforcement about their safety profile and potential for harm.
For now, the circumstances surrounding Hamilton’s and Strang’s deaths remain unresolved. Toxicology and other investigative work will be necessary to determine what happened to the two students. The coroner’s office will work with state forensic laboratories to analyze tissue samples and determine what substances were present and at what levels.
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
A news release from Lafayette County Metro Narcotics –
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit Executes Search Warrant at Oxford Business
OXFORD, MISS. — On Thursday, September 24, 2026, the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit received information… pic.twitter.com/ehoapEsqRG
— Oxford Police Department (@OxfordPolice) September 25, 2026
