Dutch health institute warns against Trump-shaped ecstasy tablets laced with PMMA

The Trimbos Institute, a Dutch organization focused on drug addiction and mental health, released a Red Alert after receiving several Trump-shaped ecstasy tablets for testing. The pills display a portrait of Donald Trump on one face and the letters "NL" and "Trump" on the other, with some appearing green and others yellow. Laboratory analysis revealed a high concentration of PMMA (para-methoxymethamfetamine), a compound similar to MDMA but slower to act, which can lead users to take additional doses and risk overdose.

The institute warned that such use may cause severe overheating with potentially fatal outcomes. Spokesperson Anniek Groothuis noted that, to date, no cases of serious illness or death have been linked to PMMA in users' blood. While the manufacture, sale, and consumption of ecstasy are illegal in the Netherlands, the drug remains widely used, especially in nightlife venues, with a 2024 government report estimating about 550,000 users annually. This is not the first appearance of Trump-shaped tablets; German police seized similar items in 2017.