Two Ole Miss students were found dead following incidents involving kratom packages, leading to the arrest of two employees of a smoke shop and the seizure of more than 500 units of kratom, THC cartridges, gummies, and other suspected narcotics during a raid on Puffs Vape, Tobacco and Beer Store, located near the University of Mississippi. The store's owner, Amer Alowdi, had already fled the United States after being indicted for narcotics trafficking in 2022. Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, from Oxford, were arrested on felony drug charges related to possession of Schedule I controlled substances with intent to distribute. Freshman Aidan Hamilton, 18, and junior Robert Strang, 20, were found dead Monday. Authorities have not confirmed a direct link between the shop and the fatalities, but the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit previously disclosed that "packaged Kratom sold from a retail store" was discovered at both scenes. Strang was found at an off-campus home, while Hamilton was reportedly discovered at a male dormitory on campus. Emergency services responded to a "possible OD" at a dorm on the day the bodies were discovered, according to a Lafayette County dispatch recording obtained by WMC Action 5 News. Investigators are awaiting expedited toxicology results to determine what caused the students' deaths and what substances were involved. The narcotics unit stated that it did "not have confirmed information indicating that kratom or any other substance was a contributing factor in either death." A representative from the American Kratom Association, Mac Haddow, expressed condolences to the families and the Ole Miss community while cautioning against attributing the fatalities to any specific product before official toxicology results were finalized. He noted that bad actors often deceptively market illicit or chemically modified products under the guise of natural kratom. Kratom, an opioid-like substance, is legal in parts of Mississippi but remains restricted within Lafayette County, where Ole Miss is located. The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit said that "Kratom has been prohibited from possession, distribution, and sale within the City of Oxford since 2019." The investigation is ongoing and more arrests could follow, according to officials. Police have urged the public to "avoid kratom and any other medication or substance that was not prescribed to you or obtained from a trusted, regulated source."