What is kratom and why is it illegal in some states? What to know after DEA raid in Biloxi

Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III was the subject of a DEA investigation Thursday as agents raided his home and businesses that sell kratom.

The investigation into the stores Deming owns has been going on for about a year and a half, Chris Bell, resident agent in charge of the DEA in Gulfport said, and agents were looking for documents inside his home and shops in Biloxi and Ocean Springs.

“We had complaints at the businesses in and around the Gulf Coast of products that were sold and having ill effects on people consuming them,” Bell said.

Deming has not been arrested or detained.

Kratom supplements have long polarized the U.S. and are outlawed in some places.

For the past five years, Mississippi lawmakers have tried to ban the use and sale of kratom.

Read the story at Sun Herald