Implicated kratom derivatives recently classified as Schedule I
Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and his 18-year-old son Islam Yahya Mosleh have been charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in connection with the suspected overdose deaths of two University of Mississippi students last month, federal authorities said Friday.
The first Ole Miss student was discovered Sept. 21 inside his dorm room and was later pronounced dead. Investigators said the death appeared consistent with a drug overdose. Police found packages of suspected kratom derivatives in the student’s room, some of which had tablets missing.
About an hour later, a second student was found dead at a separate location under similar circumstances. Packages containing suspected kratom derivatives were also discovered in his room.
Investigators traced the packages to a local vape, tobacco and beer store where Yahya Mosleh worked as a clerk, according to the Justice Department. Authorities executed several search warrants as part of the investigation and seized suspected kratom-derived controlled substances from the store.
The father and son were subsequently arrested in connection with one of the two deaths.
Kratom is a plant-based substance that can have stimulant effects at lower doses and effects similar to opioids at higher doses. Federal authorities recently classified several potent kratom derivatives, including MGPI, MGM-15 and MGM-16, as Schedule I controlled substances.
According to federal prosecutors, the derivatives can be significantly more potent than natural kratom and morphine and carry a high risk of addiction, overdose and death. The substances have been sold online and over the counter at convenience stores and smoke shops, where compounds such as MGPI, MGM-15 and MGM-16 have been referred to as “gas station heroin.”