The owner of a Mississippi gas station denies that pills found near deceased Ole Miss student Robert Strang came from his store. The denial follows a federal search in which agents seized the station’s kratom-related products. Strang and fellow student Aidan Hamilton were found dead on Sept. 21 near similar product packaging, while toxicology results remain pending. Authorities have not accused the store owner of wrongdoing or charged him.
Court documents identify the products as Smax Pseudo-DHM and Smax Pseudo tablets, with labels referencing pseudoindoxyl and other compounds. The Drug Enforcement Administration placed mitragynine pseudoindoxyl in Schedule I on Aug. 26, making the sale of products listing the compound federally prohibited.
| 1) | What investigators found near the students |
| 2) | Why the store owner disputes the product’s origin |
| 3) | What federal agents seized during the search |
| 4) | What authorities say about the deaths and investigation |
| 5) | How synthetic kratom products are regulated |
What investigators found near the students
Strang, 20, and Hamilton, 18, were found dead on Sept. 21 at separate locations near the University of Mississippi. Court records state that similar packages associated with synthetic kratom were discovered near both students. A narcotics agent identified the pills as Smax Pseudo-DHM and listed pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15(DHM) among the ingredients shown on the package found near Hamilton.
Authorities have not released final toxicology findings. A Sept. 25 affidavit said the medical examiner’s results were still pending. Dispatch audio described Strang as cold to the touch when first responders arrived at his residence, while authorities said Hamilton could have died from pulmonary edema, a conclusion consistent with a drug overdose.
Why the store owner disputes the product’s origin
Investigators learned from Strang’s roommates that he had been buying Smax pills at Express Mart #7 in Water Valley, Mississippi, a little more than 20 minutes from the Ole Miss campus. An undercover Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent later bought a similar Smax Pseudo product at the store.
Store owner Ibrahim Aydah said the package shown in reports did not match the products he sold. He said he did not place price labels on his merchandise and did not carry a 200-milligram version, while the package found near Strang had a price and was marked 200 milligrams. Court documents also say a clerk told the undercover agent the store was out of the 200-milligram version.
“The package that I see on the news… it wasn’t from my store. The package… the Smax is 200. I never carry 200. And it has different ingredients in it than mine.”
What federal agents seized during the search
Aydah said federal agents searched the Water Valley gas station on a Friday and removed all of its kratom products. He said the operation involved numerous police vehicles and undercover personnel and that agents inspected the business after he opened the office.
The DEA confirmed that it executed a search warrant at the station as part of an ongoing investigation. The agency said the Aug. 26 scheduling order covers products whose labels list pseudoindoxyl. Aydah said he was surprised by the enforcement action and maintained that he was operating as a businessman, not as a drug dealer.
“Yes, they took all my stuff. I lost everything, and it’s a law. The federal law bans it. I was shocked.”
Aydah has not been charged and has not been accused by authorities of wrongdoing. He expressed sympathy for the families, friends and classmates of the two students.
What authorities say about the deaths and investigation
Lafayette County Metro Narcotics, part of the sheriff’s office, said investigators found packaging associated with kratom-related products at both locations. The department stopped short of saying that kratom itself was found near either student.
The investigation remains open while medical examiner and laboratory findings are awaited. The DEA search of the store, the undercover purchase and the product packaging are being considered alongside information gathered from the students’ acquaintances. Officials have not publicly established that the products found near the students were purchased at Express Mart #7.
How synthetic kratom products are regulated
The federal scheduling order covering mitragynine pseudoindoxyl took effect on Aug. 26. A law enforcement agent said the term “pseudoindoxyl” on the product label likely referred to that controlled compound, although laboratory confirmation of the pills’ contents was still pending.
Mac Haddow, a senior fellow for public policy at the American Kratom Association, said the specific drug identified in the case is illegal. He also said some synthetic kratom products have been illegal to sell or possess in Oxford since 2019 and in Lafayette County since 2021. The case highlights the distinction between traditional kratom references and synthetic products containing controlled substances.
| Number | Key Point |
|---|---|
| 1 | Two Ole Miss students were found dead on Sept. 21 near similar product packaging. |
| 2 | The gas station owner disputes that the pills near Strang came from his store. |
| 3 | Federal agents seized the store’s kratom-related products under a search warrant. |
| 4 | Toxicology results and laboratory confirmation of the pills’ contents remain pending. |
Summary
The origin and contents of the pills found near the two students have not been conclusively established. The store owner denies selling the specific product linked to Strang, while federal officials confirmed a search connected to an ongoing investigation. Authorities continue to await toxicology and laboratory results before determining the role, if any, of the products in the deaths.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were the pills confirmed to have come from the gas station?
No. The owner denied that the package found near Strang came from his store, and authorities have not publicly established its point of sale.
What did federal agents take from the store?
The owner said agents seized all of the store’s kratom-related products during a search conducted under a federal warrant.
Are the causes of death confirmed?
No. Toxicology results were still pending. Authorities said Hamilton could have died from pulmonary edema, a finding consistent with a drug overdose, but final conclusions had not been released.
Has the store owner been charged?
No. Ibrahim Aydah has not been charged or accused of wrongdoing by authorities.
