New details link same kratom brand to 2 Ole Miss student deaths
Sting leads to arrests after Ole Miss student deaths
New court documents reveal the same brand of chewable kratom tablets was found near both Ole Miss students who died last week.
OXFORD, Miss. - Court documents show law enforcement found identical chewable kratom tablets near two Ole Miss students who died hours apart last week in Oxford, Mississippi, leading to undercover busts at two local retail shops.
What we know:
Authorities found chewable kratom-like tablets on a nightstand near Robert Strang, an Ole Miss student from Atlanta, an hour after finding the same brand on a dresser near student Aidan Hamilton last Monday.
Ole Miss student from Atlanta found dead near kratom packages
Mississippi investigators found retail packages of kratom near the body of 20-year-old Ole Miss student Robert Strang and another student. Loved ones of the Atlanta native described their heartbreak as authorities await toxicology reports to determine the exact cause of death.
Investigators said the chewable product is significantly more potent than raw kratom leaves and contains two substances recently cited by the Drug Enforcement Administration as growing public safety threats.
Undercover informants later purchased products from two retail stores the students visited before their deaths, leading officers to arrest two store employees and seize 500 units of kratom.
Records state an employee at one shop warned an informant to be careful because people taking the pills are "dying from them."
Products bought during the undercover operation and items seized from the retail locations have been sent to forensic labs for official testing.
Authorities said official toxicology reports could be returned as early as this week.
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What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed if kratom contributed to either student's death.
Toxicology reports for both students have been expedited, but official results and causes of death have not been released.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from court documents released by investigators detailing search warrants and undercover operations, as well as reporting from FOX 5's Alex Whittler.