In brief
The Trimbos Institute in Utrecht has launched a "red alert" against a new batch of ecstasy tablets that feature a stylised portrait of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Laboratory testing revealed that the pills contained dangerously high amounts of para‑methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), a substance similar to MDMA but producing a delayed, often absent stimulant effect that can spike heart rates and trigger fatal overheating. Users are warned that symptoms such as nausea, increased pulse and convulsions can appear hours after ingestion. The alert comes after a 2024 Dutch report highlighted a surge of 550,000 party‑drug users, underscoring the persistent popularity of ecstasy in Europe.
A Dutch drug addiction institute has issued a "red alert" to users about potentially lethal ecstasy pills shaped like U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Utrecht‑based Trimbos Institute stated that several of the pills, handed in at testing centres in August, were found to contain an unusually high amount of the chemical PMMA (para‑methoxymethamphetamine).
The centre’s warning cautions that the drug could cause overheating with potentially fatal consequences and urges users to refrain from taking it under any circumstances.
Images of the pills—one green front featuring a stylised Trump head and a red back marking "NL" and "Trump"—were released to illustrate the warning.
PMMA closely resembles MDMA, the active ingredient in classic ecstasy tablets, but its effects manifest later and the stimulant impact is often missing, increasing overdose risk.
Users may experience nausea, accelerated heart rate and convulsions hours after ingestion according to the institute’s advisory.
Trimbos spokesperson Anniek Groothuis confirmed that, up to now, there have been no reports of deaths or serious illness linked to these pills.
Although using, producing and selling ecstasy is illegal in the Netherlands, a 2024 government report noted the substance remains popular as a party drug, with a record 550,000 drug users recorded in 2022.
This is not the first time Trump’s likeness has been used for in‑trade pills. In 2017, German police seized about '5,000 carrot‑coloured ecstasy tablets in the shape of the U.S. president’s head', allegedly promoted online under the slogan "Trump makes partying great again".
