OMM Redaksiyası
A father and son who worked at a smoke shop in Mississippi have been arrested and charged in connection with the deaths of two University of Mississippi students who died in suspected overdoses.
Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, are accused of possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi. Prosecutors allege the shop sold derivatives of kratom to the students.
What investigators found
A criminal complaint says one student was found dead in a dormitory room on 21 September. The apparent cause of death seemed consistent with a drug overdose, the US Attorney’s Office said. Investigators found packages of suspected kratom derivatives, some with tablets missing.
About an hour later, a second student was found dead in another location. Packages of suspected kratom derivatives were also found there, prosecutors said.
Officials linked the packages to a local vape, tobacco and beer store. Authorities later searched the shop and seized suspected controlled substances identified as kratom derivatives. The two men were subsequently arrested.
What is kratom?
Kratom is a plant-based substance with opioid-like effects that has become more popular in the United States over the past decade. It is commonly sold over the counter in pills or liquid form and is sometimes referred to as “gas station heroin.”
The students’ deaths have prompted official warnings about consuming kratom, although authorities have not officially attributed either death to the substance. Kratom is not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration and is legal in some states, including Mississippi.
Mississippi prosecutors said derivatives including “MGPI,” “MGM-15” and “MGM-16” are now Schedule I controlled substances in the United States and can be substantially more potent than natural kratom leaf products and morphine.
