Gas Station Owner Denies Link to Pills in Ole Miss Deaths

The owner of a Mississippi gas station is pushing back against investigators’ claims that synthetic kratom pills found near the body of a deceased University of Mississippi student were purchased at his store, even as federal agents seized his entire stock of the products. The dispute, first reported by Fox News, follows the deaths of two Ole Miss students on Sept. 21 and a widening investigation into how the substance reached the campus community.

Ibrahim Aydah, who runs Express Mart #7 in Water Valley, told Fox News Digital that the pills were not his. “The package that I see on the news… it wasn’t from my store,” he said. “The package… the Smax is 200. I never carry 200. And it has different ingredients in it than mine.” He has not been charged with any crime.

Two Students Found Dead in Separate Incidents

Robert Strang, 20, a junior from Atlanta, and Aidan Hamilton, 18, a freshman from Colorado, were found dead on Sept. 21 in separate incidents, each near similar packages of Smax Pseudo-DHM, a chewable synthetic kratom product. Authorities said Hamilton “could have died due to a Pulmonary Edema,” consistent with a drug overdose, according to the Washington Times. Strang was found “cold to the touch,” according to dispatch audio.

Investigators have linked the two students’ purchases to different stores. Strang allegedly bought Smax at Express Mart #7 in Water Valley, while Hamilton allegedly bought the product at Puffs, a smoke shop in Oxford, where kratom sales have been banned since 2019. The case has prompted intense scrutiny of how synthetic substances are sold near college campuses.

An affidavit from a narcotics agent identified the pills as Smax Pseudo-DHM, listing pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15 (DHM) among ingredients found on the pack near Hamilton. The DEA temporarily placed mitragynine pseudoindoxyl in Schedule I on Aug. 26, making its sale federally illegal, and a DEA spokeswoman confirmed to Fox News Digital that “the Aug. 26 scheduling order does cover products that list ‘pseudoindoxyl’ on the label.”

A Raid and a Disputed Package

The DEA raided Express Mart #7 on Sept. 25, with Aydah describing roughly 15 vehicles of police and undercover officers descending on the business. “Yes, they took all my stuff. I lost everything, and it’s a law. The federal law bans it. I was shocked,” he said. “I’m a businessman. I’m not a drug dealer.”

Aydah’s defense rests on two claims: that he does not place price labels on products, while the pack near Strang carried one, and that he never carries the 200 mg version of the product. “No, I never carry 200,” he said. He added that the package “has different ingredients in it than mine.”

Court documents, however, complicate that account. Records indicate a store clerk told an undercover agent that the store was out of the 200 mg version — implying it did carry the product at some point. A Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent also bought a similar form of Smax Pseudo pills at Express Mart #7 during the investigation.

Arrests at the Oxford Smoke Shop

The investigation has also reached Puffs, the Oxford smoke shop tied to Hamilton’s alleged purchase. Two clerks, Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to Quartz. More than 500 units of kratom, THC cartridges, and other suspected narcotics were seized.

A clerk reportedly warned undercover agents “to be careful taking the pills because people were dying from them.” Puffs owner Amer Alowdi was indicted for alleged narcotics trafficking in 2022 but fled the U.S. before prosecution, according to the NY Post.

Federal and Local Crackdown Underway

The deaths have accelerated a regulatory response years in the making. Mississippi law already limits kratom sales to people 21 and older, requires products to be kept behind the counter, and imposes content and labeling guidelines, per the Clarion Ledger. Oxford has banned kratom sales since 2019, and Lafayette County followed in 2021. As of 2022, 24 Mississippi cities and 11 counties had banned kratom.

On Sept. 28, Aydah addressed Water Valley city officials during a special called meeting, saying he had tried to follow state and local laws governing products sold at his store. The meeting led city officials to pursue a kratom ban, according to local reporting. The deaths have also renewed calls for tighter oversight statewide, with local leaders and health advocates warning that synthetic versions of the substance are far more dangerous than the plant-based product they mimic.

The Unanswered Questions

Much of the case remains unresolved, and several key facts could shift the picture in either direction. Toxicology results are pending and are expected within roughly two weeks of late September. Drugs other than kratom were also present in Strang’s case: roommates told investigators he had taken a Xanax bar the afternoon before he died and used nitrous oxide, or “whippets,” daily, with 20 to 30 nitrous cans found on the property. Whether kratom played a causal role in either death has been described as unclear by multiple outlets.

The contents of the pills themselves also remain unconfirmed. Lab results verifying what the products actually contained are pending, and a Mississippi law enforcement agent said he believes “pseudoindoxyl” refers to mitragynine pseudoindoxyl — a determination that has not yet been formally confirmed. In a field where products are often mislabeled, that gap matters.

Industry figures have drawn a sharp line between traditional kratom and synthetic compounds. Mac Haddow, a senior fellow on public policy at the American Kratom Association, said the specific drug found near both students is illegal on three counts: it was federally scheduled in August, banned in Oxford since 2019, and banned in Lafayette County since 2021. The association has long warned that synthetic opioids should not be labeled or marketed as “kratom,” a distinction that sits at the center of the disputed narrative.

Aydah, for his part, expressed sympathy for the families. “I feel sorry for the young kids who lost their lives to an overdose. You know, it hurts. I feel them. Their friends, their classmates, and everyone…you know, he’s a young kid.”

What to Watch

Three developments will shape where this case goes next. First, toxicology and lab results will clarify whether the synthetic substance — and which compound — actually caused the deaths. Second, the DEA’s raid and the pending charges against the Puffs clerks will test how aggressively federal and state authorities pursue retailers of the product. Third, the local and state regulatory push, including Water Valley’s move toward a kratom ban, may preview a broader crackdown across Mississippi.

For now, the central factual dispute — whether the pills found near Strang came from Express Mart #7 — remains open, with the store’s owner insisting they did not and court records suggesting the store did stock the product. As investigators work through toxicology and lab analysis, that question, and the accountability that follows, is likely to be answered in courtrooms and city halls rather than in the news.