Ole Miss inquiries continue Fox reports store arrests

Sep 24

Fox's Natalie Chuck reports the Mississippi attorney general has no reason to believe the two deceased Ole Miss students knew each other and investigators await toxicology before assessing kratom's possible role. She recalls the separate deaths and packages found at both scenes, and reports two arrests after a search at an Oxford vape store. Police have not confirmed a direct connection between those arrests and the deaths. The package includes officials warning sellers to know their products and the American Kratom Association urging testing and completion of toxicology before conclusions.

ABC reports that a county narcotics team seized 500 units of kratom from a vape store less than a mile from the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, where the substance is banned. Two men were charged with possession and intent to distribute. Police have not said the search is connected to the deaths of Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang. The report retains that qualification, pending expedited toxicology and police advice to avoid kratom out of caution; it does not establish that kratom caused either death. Fox names the business as Puff's Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store, says Oxford police announced two arrests following a search warrant, and places it less than two miles from campus. Police have not confirmed any connection to the student deaths. Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell says sellers are responsible for knowing their products' contents. The report does not establish that this shop supplied either student; its distance description is retained alongside ABC's less-than-a-mile description.