Gas station owner denies synthetic kratom pills linked to Ole Miss student deaths
Gas station owner Ibrahim Aydah denied on Oct. 2, 2026 that synthetic kratom pills recovered near the bodies of University of Mississippi students Robert Strang, 20, and Aidan Hamilton, 18, originated from his Express Mart #7 in Water Valley, Mississippi.
The denial follows a federal raid that seized all kratom products from the store and an ongoing investigation into the September 21 deaths, which have heightened scrutiny of synthetic kratom products and their legal status.
Strang and Hamilton were discovered dead at separate Oxford locations on Sept. 21, each near packages labeled Smax pseudo‑DHM. Court documents list pseudoindoxyl and MGM‑15(DHM) as ingredients on the packaging, and toxicology results from the state medical examiner remain pending.
In late August, the Drug Enforcement Administration placed mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, the compound identified on the pills, on Schedule I, effectively banning its sale. DEA agents executed a search warrant at Express Mart #7, confiscating the store’s inventory of kratom‑related products.
Aydah told Fox News Digital that he does not place price labels on his merchandise, does not stock the 200‑mg version of Smax shown in the seized package, and believes the pill bottle was not sourced from his store. He said the raid left him "without anything" and expressed shock that federal law now prohibits the product.
A spokesperson for the DEA confirmed the scheduling order covers any product that lists “pseudoindoxyl” on its label and described the raid as part of an “ongoing investigation.” No criminal charges have been filed against Aydah, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics has not publicly linked the pills to the gas station.
The American Kratom Association, representing the kratom industry, stressed that the substances in question are synthetic opioids, not natural kratom, and warned against mischaracterizing them as the plant itself. The group highlighted the need for enforcement of the Mississippi Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which regulates but does not ban kratom sales.
State officials have faced criticism for perceived lapses in enforcing the act, which sets labeling and testing standards for kratom products. As the investigation proceeds, authorities are awaiting the medical examiner’s findings before determining whether additional charges will be pursued.
The next phase of the probe is expected to focus on confirming the chemical composition of the seized pills and tracing their distribution chain, a process that could shape future regulatory actions on synthetic kratom products.
