Kratom Distro (KD): the Idaho kratom shop a federal court held liable for a customer's death, and the 7-OH catalogue it built afterwards

Who they say they are, and what the record says

Kratom Distro, which calls itself The Kratom Distro and which buyers call KD, sells kratom by mail from Boise, Idaho. It sold leaf powder, capsules and mitragynine extracts from 2020, and from July 2024 tablets and powders of 7-OH, the concentrated kratom-derived opioid. In the 7-OH subreddits it is among the most-named sellers: 2,172 posts by 1,008 accounts name it (method under What buyers report).[1] It is not the seller buyers call 7OH Distro, a different shop with a similar name.[2]

The shop's domain, kratomdistro.com, was registered on 2020-09-03, with the owner's details not shown.[3] The first archived storefront, in March 2021, sold leaf and extracts at “grand opening” prices and said “our kratom powder is sourced directly from indonesia monthly” and “our kratom extracts are produced in the us by a licensed chemist and a professionally trained staff”. Its footer gave “380 leslie st salem or 97301”.[4] Its contact page gave “320 n orchard st boise id 83706”,[5] the address the footer carried by 2026.[6] The About page claimed “with a combined 40 years of experience in importing and selling wholesale kratom”, and a team that had seen “doctored imported powder and customs seizures”.[7] The FAQ said “our parent company is one of the largest kratom importers in the united states”, without naming it.[8]

Figure 1. The About page in May 2021, a month before the death the 2023 judgment concerns: 40 years' combined experience importing wholesale kratom. [7]

The site gives no legal name. A federal lawsuit does. In November 2022 the estate of a Florida woman sued Grow, LLC, which it said did business as KD Incorporated and The Kratom Distro, an Idaho company “with its principal place of business in boise idaho”, and Sean Michael Harder, who the complaint said “is the registered agent owner and operator of grow llc”. It alleged that “defendant sean harder is the only member of grow llc” and that “harder packaged shipped and distributed kratom products to krystal directly from his” home in Idaho.[9] In its discovery answers Grow, LLC gave a different account of itself: that it was formed after the woman's death “to operate a brick and mortar retail store in a mall in idaho and was not in the business of selling distributing or marketing kratom products”.[10] We did not read the Idaho company register. Buyers place the shop in Boise too: one went to collect an order because “he's local to me so i went and picked some up”,[11] and a parcel UPS stopped in October 2026 was flagged where “it says boise idaho where it was identified”.[12]

The wrongful death judgment

The court's account, from the complaint the defendants left unanswered: on 2021-06-20 Krystal Talavera, 39, of Palm Beach County, was found on her living-room floor. Beside her was an open bag of the defendants' “kratom distro space dust product”, and the coroner gave the cause of death as “acute mitragynine intoxication”. The court found that “none of the products at issue contained warnings about the safety of kratom” and that “defendants simply failed to issue any warning whatsoever”.[13] NBC News reported that “by her side was an open package of kratom with a handwritten 'space dust' label”, and that “the kratom distro did not respond to a request for comment”.[14]

Figure 2. The court's order on liability, May 2023, page 3. The facts are the complaint's, taken as admitted on default. [13]

The defendants answered the complaint, then in March 2023 withdrew their answers and chose to “consent to a default judgment with damages to be determined by the trier of fact”, “due to lack of financial resources to continue defending themselves in this action”. They added: “this notice motion is not an admission of guilt nor an admission of any wrongdoing”.[15] Before that, the plaintiff's lawyers wrote, the defendants had “supplied nothing more than fifth amendment objections” when asked who supplied their kratom; Mr Harder asserted the Fifth Amendment in answer to each substantive question.[10] In May 2023 the court entered judgment on liability and awarded the estate $4,642,895.70 (“total damages of the estate of krystal talavera 4 642 895 70”).[13] In July, at a hearing where the “defendant failed to appear”, it ordered that the defendants “must pay plaintiff 7 000 000 00 in non economic damages” to her four children: about $11.6 million in all.[16] A federal docket search finds this case and an earlier copy of it closed for a filing error, and no other.[17]

The product in that account stayed on sale. In May 2022, eleven months after the death and six months before the suit, the shop listed “Space Dust Kratom Extract, The Original! 29.7%”: “pure american made kratom extract 29 7 mitragynine extracted in a us laboratory by a licensed chemist”. The listing said “after being off the market for a bit we have decided to make it available again”, and “please do not use more than 2g at one time”, and in its disclaimer that “kratom is not a dietary supplement but a raw materials and or bulk herb”, that “all kratom products on this site are sold for horticultural educational and scientific use”, and that “by purchasing you agree to release us for any adverse effects”.[18] In December 2023, after the judgment, it sold “og space dust extract 24 72 mitragynine 67 total alkaloids the original batch”, and wrote that “space dust extract was invented about four years ago”.[19]

Figure 3. May 2022: Space Dust, the product named in the court's account of the June 2021 death, listed again as in stock. [18]

Buyers in the 7-OH forums knew of the case from 2024. One asked about a seller he “heard they harmed people and have lot solvents in their products”; a reply said “it's hard to tell the truth on that lawsuit though”.[20] In December 2024 another wrote “i am more than happy to be doing my part in helping them pay off this judgment”.[21] Whether any of it has been paid is not in the federal record.

What they sell

Kratom and mitragynine. Leaf powders and capsules from 2020; mitragynine extracts (Space Dust in several batches, 50x to 200x extracts, liquid shots); CBD from a partner brand in 2021, “13leaf has partnered with kratomdistro com to offer their full line”.[4]

7-OH. In July 2024 a buyer reported that the shop “has new 7oh extract powder 3 7 oh 25 mitragynine”.[22] By 2026 the home page read “the only site you will ever need for kratom and 7 oh”, with “pseudo tablets” and a link to “shop kratom and 7 oh extracts”.[6] Tablets came in flavours (Lemon Drops, Sweet Tarts, Strawberry Milkshake, Creamsicle, Blueberry Pie) from 15 to 100 mg; powders were named for foods (Mac n Cheese, Pumpkin Spice, Brown Sugar, Pollen, Cocoa, Curry, Crystal Cream) at stated strengths up to about 90%.[23] Buyers say the shop does not press its tablets: “neither clan nor kd presses their own tabs”, one wrote of a 2026 batch that another shop had sold “as 80mg but here kd had 100mg”.[24] Others matched its powder to another shop's, “the exact same powder”,[25] its tablets to a smoke-shop brand's, “they look identical and feel basically the same”,[26] and its supplier to a wholesaler, “now using bkc as a supplier”.[27] Buyers also said its 2024 strips came from the wholesaler in our Pain Relief Kratom dossier.

Figure 4. March 2026: the same storefront, now selling 7-OH and pseudoindoxyl tablets, behind a one-click age box. [6]

After the federal notices. On 2026-07-06 the DEA gave notice that it intends to place 7-OH above a threshold in Schedule I.[28] In August a buyer asked whether the owner had taken “take down all the 7 from his website”; the reply: “he put them back”.[29] The same month buyers bought MGM-15, a semi-synthetic opioid made from a kratom alkaloid, from the shop: “98 4 emmm powder and 10 50mg emmm tabs”.[11] A post in an MGM-15 forum praising a “98 pure mgm 15” ended “make an order today at kratom distro and i hope you are just as happy with the result”, above a link carrying the poster's referral code.[30] The DEA's order on pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and MGM-16 took effect the next week: “this temporary order is effective august 26 2026 until august 26 2028”.[31] On 2026-08-26 a buyer titled a post “last chance emgm”.[32]

In August 2026 the shop also listed “200mg speciociliatine tabs”,[33] and a “quittin” powder and tablets. Buyers took these for SR-17018, a synthetic drug that acts on the opioid receptor and is not a kratom alkaloid: “17 tabs i seen some on kd”.[34] The DEA scheduled SR-17018 under its chemical name: “this temporary order is effective august 27 2026 until august 27 2028”.[35] One buyer wrote that the shop did not send “out my quitting powder when i ordered on the last day”;[36] another, in September, found 30 “quittin tabs” in place of 30 tablets he had ordered and asked whether they were SR: “if these are sr tabs”.[37] We found no archived listing that says what is in them.

Two newer products name no compound a reader can look up. Of a “13-OH” blend sold from late August 2026, a buyer wrote “he didnt name the actual alkaloid in the description”; buyers bought the “mit 13 oh blend” and concluded “look up corydalis thats what it is”.[38] A “9-ODM” tablet followed: “9 odm is what your liver enzymes convert mit to”, a buyer explained.[39] On 2026-10-14 the DEA published a second notice of intent covering 7-OH and pseudoindoxyl above a threshold.[40] The shop was taking orders that week.[41]

What buyers report

We searched the local Arctic Shift archive of 33 subreddits on 2026-10-17 for “Kratom Distro”, “KratomDistro” and the initialism KD, from 2024-07-12 (the first post naming the shop) to 2026-10-16. 2,172 posts by 1,008 accounts name it, 284 posts by 159 accounts since the DEA's July notice. The archive holds posts, not comments. The word “distro” alone was not counted, because it also names a different shop. We then classified all 232 threads with the name in the title and 20 or more comments by what the opening post describes, a thread counting in every row it fits, and read the comments of 63 of them.[1]

What the opening post describes	Threads
Praise, a haul, a recommendation	59
Product weak, solvent-smelling, odd or sickening	22
Messages or a claim unanswered	22
A parcel unshipped, late or lost	18
Short weight or the wrong item	11
Harm after taking it	5
Payment trouble	5
The shop's screening of new 7-OH buyers	5
The same product as another seller's	5
A damaged parcel	4
The 2023 lawsuit	3
Reviews thought paid, or removed	2
Questions and other	87

Praise is the largest group: “the best 7oh i've ever had”,[42] “earned my loyalty for life”,[43] and in the summer of 2026 many first orders with extra product added. Some praise came from a test scheme the shop ran in October 2024, in which a buyer reviewing its powders wrote that after “giving a report back to kd they are even going to give me partial refund”.[44] One critic of its 30 mg tablets, which another buyer said “definitely feel under dosed”,[45] wrote that earlier negative threads had vanished: “when i went back to reference those posts for my review they were gone”.[46]

Service. The commonest complaint is silence: “never replies takes forever to send the invoice or tracking number” (December 2024).[47] Several buyers paid and waited. “label and never shipped”, one wrote in January 2025.[48] In October 2026: “paying via btc i have not received an email with conformation or tracking”.[41] Wrong and short orders: “all 3 times they have gotten my order wrong”;[49] a gram of powder that “showed up just under a half gram”;[50] and “97 tabs out of the 100 promised”, from a buyer who also wrote that the shop did “literally don't do any labs on their tabs”.[51]

Payment. The shop invoices first-time buyers outside its checkout. Its FAQ listed “cash app venmo zelle” and warned “people who request frivolous chargebacks will be banned for life and their address will be blacklisted”.[8] In April 2025 a buyer who paid by app and heard nothing wrote that “the only communication they're interested in is the message where they drop their cashapp tag”.[52] In August 2026 a buyer who paid through Facebook because “on his site he says fb pay” wrote “i have not received anything at all”; replies wondered whether he had paid an impersonator.[53]

Harm. “i got a fever about an hour after i took a dose”, of a 63% powder with a chemical taste (October 2024);[54] “my heart was racing so fast”, from a few granules of the 90% powder;[55] “felt numb tongue at first followed by nausea”, then vomiting, from a 36% powder.[56]

Screening. The shop asks first-time 7-OH buyers to make contact before ordering. One was asked about his use: “they just asked a couple questions about my 7oh use” and “at the end he decided to approve me”.[57] Another was asked for “roof of a microgram scale for kd”.[58] Other buyers say the step is not enforced: “they just say that as a safety thing but i never did they'll ship it out”.[59]

Lab results

The shop promised in 2021 that “every batch of products we receive is lab tested and will not ship out without meeting our meticulous quality standards” and “we will never show you an out of date lab”.[4] By 2026 its menu linked a lab reports page. We found no certificate in the shop's archived pages back to 2021. In 2023, asked in court to “please produce all documentation relating to lab testing of grow” kratom products, Grow, LLC answered that it had none.[10]

Solvents. In October 2024 a buyer wrote of the Brown Sugar powder that “this stuff reeks of solvents”.[60] Days later another, “having a phd in chemistry and access to instrumentation”, posted an NMR spectrum of the 73% Brown Sugar, noting that the shop's posted certificates “did not test for solvents”. He found ethyl acetate: “it is about 5 by weight”, adding that “ethyl acetate is relatively non toxic as far as solvents go”.[61] One buyer's spectrum is one sample, not a laboratory report. In September 2025 another wrote that the shop's powders “are just full of residual solvents”.[62] The home page meanwhile promised “guaranteed purity levels and free of all toxins”.[6]

Potency. TestMyKratom, a community testing service, ran 33 tests on 31 of the shop's products between November 2024 and January 2026, measuring 7-OH (or mitragynine) and nothing else.[23] Its first results, on the Lemon Drop tablets, were 15.55 mg against 15 and 18.08 mg against 20.[63] Overall:

• 20 of 33 within 10% of the label or above it, among them “kratom distro 15mg lemon drops backed up their 7 oh claim completely”.
• 13 of 33 more than 10% under the label. Worst were two sublingual strips: “kd lemon sublingual strips contained 12 39mg of 7 hydroxy which was about 38 weaker than its 20mg claim”, and “kd 7 oh mint strips contained 13 08mg of 7 hydroxy which was about 35 weaker than their 20mg claim”. Then “kd 72 7 curry 7 oh powder contained 54 77 7 hydroxy which was about 25 weaker than its 72 70 claim”, and “kd green apple tablets contained 39 14mg of 7 hydroxy which was about 22 weaker than its 50mg claim”.[23]
• None more than 10% over the label. This shop errs low, not high.

Figure 5. A community tester's results page, April 2026: 33 tests on 31 products. The sample bag shows how the tablets are labelled: a sticker on a zip bag. [23]

TestMyKratom has an interest. Each of the shop's products on its page carries a “buy product thanks for your support” link to the shop,[23] and its posts ask readers to “please consider purchasing your products through the links on our website”.[64] TestMyKratom also sold its own tablets from 2026 (see our Omega Extrax dossier). If you bought from Kratom Distro and had a product tested, rate it below or comment on the thread at the foot of this page.

Regulatory and legal

Beyond the judgment above: the 2024 home page said “the us fda has not approved kratom as a dietary supplement” and “we do not ship to the following states cities and counties in the us where kratom is banned”, with a list.[65] When Florida banned 7-OH, a buyer found checkout “saying it couldn't ship to fl” for anything.[66] Nothing on the archived pages mentions FDA's view of 7-OH or the DEA's notices. The age check is a one-click box: “yes i'm at least 21 no i'm under 21”.[6]

On 2025-07-15 FDA “announced seven recent warning letters sent to companies for illegally marketing products containing 7 hydroxymitragynine”; none went to this shop, and we found no FDA letter to it under any of its names.[67] In October 2026 a buyer wrote that the shop “informed me that ups won't ship kratom anymore and kd will ship to me via usps instead”.[68]

Still open

Who owns the business now, and under what name. The court record names Grow, LLC of Boise and its sole member; Grow said in court it was formed after June 2021 to run a mall store. Which entity sold kratom before that, and what the FAQ's “parent company” is, we did not find. We did not read the Idaho or Oregon company registers.

Whether the shop's lab reports page carries certificates, and whether any measures solvents.

What is in the “quittin” products and the 13-OH blend. Buyers' readings are above; no listing we read says.

Whether the 2023 judgment has been paid or enforced.

Changes

2026-10-17: first published.

References

1. 2,172 posts by 1,008 accounts naming the store in the local Arctic Shift archive of 33 subreddits, 2024-07 to 2026-10; 232 threads with the name in the title and 20+ comments classified by opening post — Arctic Shift — anecdotal report, not evidence
2. Question is 7OHM distro the same as kratom distro? (2025-07-27) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
3. RDAP record for kratomdistro.com (registered 2020-09-03, NameCheap, registrant not shown), read 2026-10-17 — Verisign RDAP
4. kratomdistro.com home page, archived 2021-03-23 — Wayback Machine
5. Kratom Distro, Contact, archived 2021-05-14 — Wayback Machine
6. kratomdistro.com home page, archived 2026-03-08 — Wayback Machine
7. Kratom Distro, About Us, archived 2021-05-18 — Wayback Machine
8. Kratom Distro, FAQ, archived 2021-05-18 — Wayback Machine
9. Filippelli v. Grow, LLC (d/b/a KD Incorporated and The Kratom Distro) and Harder, S.D. Fla. 9:22-cv-81731, Amended Complaint for Wrongful Death (DE 5), filed 2022-11-11 — U.S. District Court, S.D. Florida, via RECAP
10. Filippelli v. Grow, LLC, Plaintiff's motion to compel U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with the defendants' discovery responses as Exhibit C (DE 46), 2023-04-17 — U.S. District Court, S.D. Florida, via RECAP
11. Just got my order from KD (2026-08-13) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
12. Generally prohibited item identified ups (2026-10-12) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
13. Filippelli v. Grow, LLC, Order granting in part motion for entry of final default judgment (DE 54), 2023-05-12 — U.S. District Court, S.D. Florida, via RECAP
14. $11 million awarded to family of woman who died after taking kratom — NBC News, 2023
15. Filippelli v. Grow, LLC, Defendants' notice of withdrawal of answer and consent to default judgment (DE 36), 2023-03-15 — U.S. District Court, S.D. Florida, via RECAP
16. Filippelli v. Grow, LLC, Order awarding non-economic damages (DE 72), 2023-07-26 — U.S. District Court, S.D. Florida, via RECAP
17. CourtListener federal docket search for "Kratom Distro", run 2026-10-17 (two dockets, S.D. Fla. 9:22-cv-81730 and 9:22-cv-81731) — Free Law Project
18. Kratom Distro, Space Dust Kratom Extract, The Original! 29.7% listing, archived 2022-05-04 — Wayback Machine
19. Kratom Distro, OG Space Dust Extract 24.72% listing, archived 2023-12-04 — Wayback Machine
20. Kratom distro (2024-10-02) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
21. I wonder how KD even stayed alive after this judgement last year (2024-12-04) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
22. Kratom Distro (2024-07-12) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
23. TestMyKratom, Kratom Distro lab test results (33 tests of 31 products, November 2024 to January 2026), archived 2026-04-19 — Wayback Machine
24. Are These KD tabs the same as the ones Clandestine sold? (2026-08-18) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
25. 7ohBlack and KD are selling the same powder at different prices and percentages... (2024-12-23) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
26. KD thanksgiving Special (2025-11-29) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
27. KD now using BKC? (2025-03-15) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
28. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of 7-Hydroxymitragynine Above a Specified Threshold in Schedule I, notice of intent (FR Doc. 2026-13580) — Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Register, 2026-07-06
29. Kratom Distro (2026-08-09) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
30. I Will Definitely Be a Return Customer Quality For Price Surprised Me In a Good Way! (2026-08-19) — r/dihydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
31. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 in Schedule I (FR Doc. 2026-17429) — Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Register, 2026-08-26
32. Last chance emgm (2026-08-26) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
33. KD has 200mg Speciociliatine Tabs... (2026-08-14) — r/emgeeemfifteen — anecdotal report, not evidence
34. Reset tabs question? (2026-08-13) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
35. DEA, Temporary Placement of 5,6-Dichloro Brorphine, 5,6-Dichloro Desmethylchlorphine (SR-17018), N-Propionitrile Chlorphine, and Spirochlorphine in Schedule I, 2026-08-27 — Federal Register
36. Vendors would rather throw out product than give good deals (2026-09-03) — r/7oh — anecdotal report, not evidence
37. KD replacements? (2026-09-10) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
38. Anyone tried KD's new 13-oh? (2026-08-28) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
39. Anyone tried KD's "9-ODM"? (2026-09-24) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
40. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of 7-Hydroxymitragynine and Mitragynine Pseudoindoxyl Above a Specified Threshold in Schedule I (notice of intent, FR Doc. 2026-20943) — Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Register, 2026-10-14
41. Fellow Kratom Distro (Sean) buyers.. (2026-10-15) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
42. This is the one. Absolutely blown away. KD Honest product and company review. (2024-10-21) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
43. KRATOM DISTRO (2025-01-23) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
44. I'm testing all this 7oh powder for KD (2024-10-13) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
45. KD 30 MG (2024-11-13) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
46. No wonder all the negative reviews for KD 30mg disappeared. (2024-11-15) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
47. Kratom distro sucks (2024-12-02) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
48. Kratom distro is absolute trash (2025-01-19) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
49. WARNING ABOUT KRATOM DISTRO (2025-03-31) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
50. KD short on weight. (2024-12-21) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
51. Kratom Distro is SUPER sketchy (2025-02-01) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
52. Paid Kratom Distro, Got Ghosted – No Response, No Product (2025-04-06) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
53. Think I got scammed by KD (2026-08-26) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
54. Kratom distro 63% 7oh (2024-10-21) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
55. would KD refund for this? (2024-11-11) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
56. Nauseous and throwing up after dosing .04g of the KD Cocoa Batch 36% (2024-12-12) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
57. KD ORDERING AND SHIPPING (2024-10-23) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
58. Do you really need to show proof of a MICROGRAM scale for KD (2024-11-20) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
59. Kratom Distro ?? (2025-05-28) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
60. KD Brown Sugar (2024-10-26) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
61. KD "Brown Sugar" 73% Analysis (2024-10-28) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
62. KD Residual Solvents in Powders. (2025-09-18) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
63. TestMyKratom, Lab Results: Kratom Distro Lemon Drop 15mg & 20mg tablets (2024-11-01) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
64. TestMyKratom, Lab Results: Kratom Distro tablets (2025-06-28) — r/7hydromitra — anecdotal report, not evidence
65. kratomdistro.com home page, archived 2024-07-13 — Wayback Machine
66. Does KD just have a blanket ban on shipping anything to FL?? (2026-08-04) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence
67. FDA issues warning letters to firms marketing products containing 7-hydroxymitragynine — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025-07-15
68. UPS NOT SHIPPING KRATOM ANYMORE (2026-10-12) — r/7_hydroxymitragynine — anecdotal report, not evidence