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NSW teen found dead after taking suspected synthetic drug

Police have since issued a public health warning against synthetic drugs.

A public health warning has been issued by police after a NSW teenage died, and two others have fallen seriously ill, after taking a suspected synthetic cannabis substance.

17-year-old Dean Shield’s body was found near a drain at a reserve in Rutherford, near Maitland in New South Wales, around 8pm on Saturday night.

Police have been told he took a substance called “Kronic” in the hours before his body was found, 9News reports.

Two other 22-year-old men have been treated for non-life threatening symptoms after consuming the same substance in a neighbouring town.

Police have seized a quantity of the drug from a house in Rutherford and are still awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination.

They have issued a warning against any drugs saying it’s a “gamble with your life that’s not worth taking.”

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