In brief
- On August 28, the Dutch drug checking system, DIMS, issued a red alert for a pill sold as ecstasy that contains a very high concentration of PMMA.
- The pill is bicolor, found in various color combinations, features an image of Trump on the front, and has a break line between the words “NL” and “Trump” on the back.
- PMMA takes hours to manifest and produces little stimulant effect; this is the primary danger, as it leads users to redose, believing the pill is weak.
The Trimbos Institute, which coordinates the Drug Information and Monitoring System (DIMS) in the Netherlands, issued a red alert on August 28. Several pills submitted the previous week to one of their testing sites were found to contain a very high amount of PMMA instead of MDMA. The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) had recently analyzed a pill of the same type.
What the pill looks like
The tablet is bicolor and has appeared in various color combinations, so color is not a reliable way to identify it. The stamp is consistent: on one side, an image of Trump; on the other, a break line with the word “NL” above and “Trump” below. The warning comes after DIMS had been recommending, via its Red Alert app since May, to avoid pills that combine MDMA with smaller amounts of PMMA. This time, the ratio is different.
Why PMMA is different
Para-methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA) is chemically similar to MDMA, but it behaves differently in the body. Its effects appear much later, and the stimulant component is usually lacking. This combination is exactly what causes overdoses: if nothing is felt after forty minutes, the intuitive reaction is to take more, and by the time the PMMA begins to act, several doses are already in the system. Hours later, nausea, tachycardia, seizures, and an extreme rise in body temperature can occur suddenly. This overheating is what can ultimately be fatal.
The Trimbos Institute’s recommendation regarding this specific pill is not to consume it. If someone has already taken it and shows intense symptoms, notify medical services as soon as possible and keep the person as calm as possible while waiting for help. It is worth emphasizing something often forgotten: calling an ambulance does not carry legal consequences for the person requesting help, and in a case of hyperthermia, time is of the essence.
What this implies
The alert system works because a network exists to make it possible. DIMS gathers information from twelve entities with 34 testing points spread across the country, mostly addiction care centers, where anyone can bring what they have purchased and find out what it contains. It is this infrastructure, rather than prohibition, that allows for the detection of a dangerous batch in a matter of days and provides warnings before it spreads.
In Spain, the closest equivalent is drug checking services like Energy Control, whose data we discussed when reviewing a decade of samples analyzed in the country. The practical lesson is simple and applies to anyone who uses MDMA and empathogens: test before you consume, do not trust the stamp or the color, start low, and wait. None of this eliminates the risk, but it significantly reduces it, and it is the foundation of the harm reduction we advocate for.
Source
- Trimbos-instituut. Trimbos Red Alert: Zeer gevaarlijke XTC met PMMA aangetroffen. Trimbos-instituut (DIMS), August 28, 2026.
Educational content written from a harm reduction perspective and with respect for individual freedom. It is not a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional and is not intended to encourage or condemn any drug use.
