Public health officials sue to stop Southern CA kratom maker’s illegal sales
A Southern California company has been illegally selling products that contain kratom, a drug that has been linked to serious health issues, according to a criminal complaint filed by the state’s public health agency on Friday.
Despite warnings and embargos issued by the California Department of Public Health, the manufacturer, Ashlynn Marketing Group, has continued to produce and distribute products containing kratom, the state alleged in a document filed in San Diego Superior Court.
Public health officials asked the court to stop the Santee-based manufacturer from distributing the products and to destroy the inventory of goods that contain kratom.
“CDPH is pursuing legal action because Ashlynn’s continued manufacture and sale of these products pose a clear and preventable public‑health risk and violates state and federal law,” Dr. Erica Pan, CDPH’s director and state public health officer, said in a Friday statement.
Pan warned that “kratom-derived products have been associated with addiction, serious health harms, overdose and death.”
Ashlynn Marketing Group, which sells a range of products including e-cigarettes, did not respond to a request for comment.
Kratom products, which can be consumed as tea or capsules, are derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia. It has been used to treat pain, anxiety and opioid withdrawal, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA recommended consumers avoid consuming kratom because of potential risks, such as “liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder.”
Last year, Los Angeles County reported that synthetic kratom, containing the compound 7‑hydroxymitragynine, has been linked to six fatalities. It is illegal to manufacture and sell kratom products that contain this compound in California, according to CDPH.
CDPH stated in a news release that the department has seized more than $5 million in kratom products across California. The department did not immediately respond to questions about why state officials had not seized illegal products produced by the company.
CDPH’s complaint states that officials from its Food and Drug Branch found kratom in several forms, including powders, capsules, liquids and chewable tablets, that the company intended to sell when CDPH conducted an inspection of the company’s Southern California facility in 2025.
Despite public health officials issuing an embargo on those products to prevent the company selling or removing them, Ashlynn Marketing Group “continued manufacturing kratom-containing food products and had moved embargoed materials without authorization,” the complaint read.
As of April 9, the company’s owner admitted to CDPH inspectors that the company continued to manufacture and sell products containing kratom, the filing stated. In response, the state filed a complaint to stop the continued distribution of these products.
The state is seeking a court order prohibiting Ashlynn Marketing Group from making and selling food products that contain kratom. Public health officials also asked the court to destroy the company’s kratom-containing products that have been identified as well as civil penalties.
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Public health officials sue to stop Southern CA kratom maker’s illegal sales."
