A Dutch institute issues a 'Red Alert' over potentially lethal
Trump-shaped ecstasy pills
[August 29, 2026]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch drug addiction and mental
health institute warned users on Friday about potentially lethal ecstasy
pills shaped to look like the head of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The respected Trimbos Institute said that several of the pills have been
handed in recently at a network of centers that test drugs for users
before they take them.
“Absolutely do not use these pills,” the institute warned.
It released a photo of the pills that have a depiction of Trump's head
on one side and on the other side “NL” and “Trump” stamped into the
surface either side of a vertical line. One of the pills has a green
face and another is yellow.
The institute warned in a “ Red Alert ” published on its website and
social media that they contain a high concentration of a chemical called
PMMA, or para-methoxymethamfetamine, that is similar to MDMA, the active
ingredient in ecstasy pills.
However, PMMA is slower working than MDMA and that could lead users to
take more because they think that the first pill didn't work, leading to
a risk of overdosing, the institute said, adding that use of the pills
“can lead to overheating with possibly deadly consequences.”
Spokesperson Anniek Groothuis said that the institute has no reported
cases of serious illness or fatalities among people who may have used
the drug.
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This undated photo provided by Trimbos Institute of Mental Health
and Addiction shows pills that have a depiction of President Donald
Trump on one side and on the other side NL and Trump stamped into
the surface. (Trimbos Institute of Mental Health and Addiction via
AP)
 “We do not know of any victims where
PMMA was found in their blood,” she told The Associated Press.
Producing, selling and using ecstasy is illegal in the Netherlands,
but it's widely used, particularly at clubs and music festivals. A
government report in 2024 said that some 550,000 people took the
drug in a year.
It's not the first time ecstasy pills in the form of Trump’s head
have appeared. In 2017, German police seized thousands of orange
Trump-shaped tablets.
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