The mayor of the Mississippi college town rocked by the mysterious deaths of two Ole Miss students has issued a chilling warning over kratom, declaring that taking the controversial substance is like 'rolling the dice on death.'

Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill sounded the alarm after packaged kratom was recovered during investigations into the deaths of University of Mississippi students Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20.

The young men were found dead in separate locations earlier this week, plunging the close-knit college community into grief and triggering an urgent investigation involving narcotics detectives.

Authorities have not determined what killed either student, and Tannehill stressed that autopsy and toxicology results must come back before investigators can establish whether kratom or any other substance played a role.

But she warned that the deaths should serve as a wake-up call about the potentially dangerous substances sometimes sold in smoke shops, convenience stores and gas stations.

'To take kratom is really rolling the dice on death,' Tannehill told Fox News on Saturday. 'That sounds dramatic, but it's the truth. And so our challenge right now is to make our young people understand the dangers of these drugs.'

Tannehill said Oxford officials had been concerned about kratom for years and moved to restrict its sale locally after the city's police chief raised the alarm.

'Our city board passed a law seven years ago prohibiting kratom from being sold in gas stations across our community,' she said. 'This is a substance that our police chief identified as dangerous in 2019, and we immediately took action.'

The mayor said authorities were continuing to hunt for people willing to illegally supply potentially dangerous substances to young people.

'We are always trying to find the bad actors in our community that are choosing to sell these things to kids,' she said.

Her warning came after police raided a smoke shop just a mile from the Ole Miss campus and arrested two employees on drug charges.

Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Mohamed, 18, were booked for possession of Schedule I drugs with intent to distribute.

Oxford Police said agents recovered more than 500 units of kratom along with THC cartridges, gummies and other suspected drugs during the raid.

Police also said business owner Amer Alowdi, 40, had previously been indicted for trafficking drugs and had since left the country.

Authorities have not linked the arrests or the store to the deaths of Hamilton and Strang, and the investigation remains active.

The Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit has said that 'packaged kratom' was recovered during both death investigations.

Kratom is derived from a Southeast Asian tree and can produce stimulant-like effects at lower doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. 

It is sometimes marketed for energy, pain relief or managing opioid withdrawal.

'We are awaiting autopsy and toxicology reports, and until those tests are in, it is just, you know, speculation at this point,' Tannehill said.

Hamilton, a freshman from Colorado, was found inside Stewart Hall on campus. Emergency responders attempted CPR but were unable to save him.

Strang, a junior from Georgia, was discovered at an off-campus house on Van Buren Avenue.

Tannehill said the entire Oxford community was now mourning with them.

'This tragic loss of these two young men has deeply impacted our community, and my heart is broken for these parents, family and friends and classmates of Robert and Aidan,' she said.

'As a mom and a mayor, I take seriously our responsibility to provide a safe place for the students who we're entrusted with for four to five to six years. Every student on that Ole Miss campus is important to us.'

Tannehill looked to reassure frightened students and parents that the two deaths did not mean Oxford had suddenly become unsafe.

'Oxford is an extremely safe town,' she said. 'It's a place where, as you walk down the street, people still speak to you. It's a place that takes care of each other.'

She added that substance abuse and dangerous drugs are problems confronting college communities nationwide.

'The issues we're dealing with right now are issues that every college campus across the nation is dealing with. It's not unique to Oxford,' she said. 

'Unfortunately, the spotlight is on Oxford now because of these two tragic deaths, and if that spotlight can help us save other kids then, you know, that is my prayer.'

Tannehill urged students to look after one another.

'I just encourage students to take care of each other,' Tannehill said. 'Know that our community is rallying around you.'

And she delivered an equally blunt message to anyone illegally supplying drugs in the city.

'To the bad actors in our community, know that we are looking for you every single day, that we are not going to leave any stone unturned to make sure that we protect our community.'