The situation surrounding the sudden deaths of two Ole Miss students, Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, is taking a dark turn. New court documents have officially linked a local Oxford smoke shop, Puffs, to the investigation.
Hamilton reportedly visited the shop twice in mid-September to purchase Smax Pseudo-DHM, a chewable form of kratom. Here’s the real tea: kratom has been explicitly banned in Oxford since 2019. Even more chilling? When undercover agents attempted to buy the substance at Puffs, staff actually warned them to be careful, explicitly stating that "people were dying" from the pills.
What was found
During a subsequent raid on the shop, authorities seized over 500 units of kratom, THC cartridges, and other substances. Staffers Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, were arrested on possession charges with intent to distribute. The store’s owner, Amer Alowdi, is already a fugitive after fleeing the U.S. during a 2022 narcotics trafficking case.
While Strang also had a packet of Smax when he was found, his was purchased at a different location—an Express Mart in Yalobusha County. Documents also noted that investigators found a significant number of nitrous oxide canisters in Strang’s home and reports that he had taken a Xanax bar the day before he died.
Why it matters
We don't know the exact role these substances played in the deaths of Hamilton and Strang, as toxicology reports are still pending. While it’s tempting to search for answers immediately, the families are grieving and the university is providing counseling for students. This situation is a sobering reminder that "gas-station heroin"—the common nickname for these unregulated supplements—is highkey dangerous, and the legal system is finally starting to catch up to the shops profiting from them. Stay safe and watch what you're consuming.
