Federal prosecutors charge shop clerk, son with selling kratom thought to be tied to Ole Miss death

Federal prosecutors have charged a store clerk and his son with selling kratom that authorities believe is linked to the death of a University of Mississippi student, prosecutors announced Friday.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Mississippi said authorities established a link between the kratom derivative found at the scene of the student’s death and a local vape, tobacco and beer store.

A drug task force in Mississippi had urged people to avoid kratom, an herbal extract that acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses, after authorities found packages of the substance while investigating the deaths of two University of Mississippi students.

The bodies were found Sept. 21 in different locations, one on campus and the other off campus. Authorities said they had no evidence the deaths were connected but noted the kratom found at the scenes was sold at a retail store.