The Netherlands’ Trimbos Institute has issued a Red Alert over potentially lethal ecstasy pills shaped to resemble U.S. President Donald Trump after tests found very high concentrations of PMMA. The institute warned people not to take the pills under any circumstances because the substance can cause dangerous overheating and potentially fatal complications.
Several of the tablets were submitted to testing centers operated through the Netherlands’ Drugs Information and Monitoring System, or DIMS, during August. The Netherlands Forensic Institute has also recently analyzed a similar pill, according to the official Trimbos warning.
Pills Contain High Levels of PMMA
The pills have appeared in several two-color combinations and feature an image of Trump on one side. The reverse carries the markings “NL” and “Trump.”
PMMA, or para-methoxymethamphetamine, is chemically similar to MDMA, the primary psychoactive ingredient typically associated with ecstasy. Trimbos said its effects can take longer to appear and may lack the stimulating effect users expect, increasing the risk that someone takes more before the first dose has fully taken effect.
Several hours after ingestion, PMMA can cause symptoms including nausea, increased heart rate, convulsions, and extremely high body temperature. Trimbos said severe overheating can have fatal consequences.
Anniek Groothuis, a spokesperson for the institute, told the Associated Press that no deaths or serious illnesses linked to the newly identified pills had been reported at the time of the warning.
Dutch Testing Network Tracks High-Risk Drugs
DIMS operates through a national network of 34 testing locations across the Netherlands. The system allows people to submit drugs for analysis and helps health authorities identify substances that pose an unusually high public health risk.
Trimbos uses its Red Alert system to issue warnings when testing identifies particularly dangerous pills, powders, or other substances.
Trump-shaped ecstasy pills have appeared in Europe before. In 2017, German police seized roughly 5,000 orange tablets shaped like Trump’s head during a traffic stop.
Ecstasy remains illegal in the Netherlands, although government research has found that it continues to be widely used as a recreational drug. A 2024 Dutch government report said about 550,000 people had used ecstasy at least once in 2022.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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