Dutch authorities have issued an urgent warning against taking pills molded in the shape of U.S. President Donald Trump's face after the tablets turned up repeatedly in the country.
Trump-Shaped Pills Trigger Red Alert in the Netherlands
The Trimbos Institute, a Dutch research body specializing in mental health and addiction, issued a "Red Alert" after detecting high concentrations of PMMA, or paramethoxymethamphetamine, in pills made in the shape of Trump's face, according to Fox News, the Associated Press and other foreign media on the 5th.
The composition was confirmed after the pills were submitted to several drug-testing centers in the Netherlands. Photos released by the institute show Trump's face embossed in three dimensions on the front of the tablets. Green and yellow versions were found, with the letters "NL" and "Trump" printed on the back.
PMMA is a synthetic psychoactive substance with stimulant effects. It has a chemical structure and effects similar to MDMA, the main ingredient in ecstasy, but takes longer to take hold.
That delay raises the risk that users will conclude the drug is not working and take additional pills. Higher doses can cause nausea, a rapid heart rate, seizures and reduced consciousness, and can lead to severe hyperthermia and death.
The Trimbos Institute warned people never to use the pills. No severe illnesses or deaths have been linked to the tablets so far. Annick Groothuis, a spokeswoman for the institute, told the Associated Press that she was not aware of any cases in which PMMA had been found in a victim's blood.
This is not the first time illegal drugs bearing Trump's likeness have surfaced. German police seized thousands of orange ecstasy pills shaped like Trump's face in 2017, and similar tablets were found in the U.S. state of Indiana in 2018.
23,403 Drug Offenders in Korea, More Than a Ton Seized at the Border in First Half
There have been no official reports that the Trump-shaped PMMA pills found in the Netherlands have circulated in South Korea. Synthetic drugs such as MDMA, however, are distributed illegally in the country. The National Forensic Service's "2025 White Paper on Narcotics Analysis," published this year, documented cases of acute poisoning and death after MDMA was taken together with ketamine or newly emerging drugs.
A total of 23,403 people were caught on drug charges last year, according to the "2025 White Paper on Drug Crime" released by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in July. Smuggling offenders rose 57% from a year earlier to 1,772, the highest figure since the statistics were first compiled. Those in their 30s or younger accounted for 62% of all drug offenders, and 674 were teenagers.
Seizures at the border are also rising. Customs officials intercepted 3,318 kilograms of narcotics in 1,256 cases during customs clearance last year, according to the Korea Customs Service, up 46% in the number of cases and 321% in weight from a year earlier — both record highs. In the first six months of this year, 767 cases involving 1,007 kilograms were detected, with the volume intended for domestic distribution the largest ever for a first half. The figures represent quantities blocked during customs clearance rather than amounts actually distributed within the country.
