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Pills peddled containing hazardous residues

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Central Criminal Police says pills are being passed around in Estonia, resembling the narcotic substance known as ecstasy yet containing extremely dangerous residual products from chemical industry. The pills, red or blue in colour and appearing exactly like ecstasy, have surfaced in several places around Estonia.

«While effects of MDMA aka ecstasy on human organism are known and people generally know how to handle overdoses, the effects of eating residues from chemical industry are hard to predict,» said Toomas Loho, drug unit chief at Central Criminal police. Mr Loho added that it’s always best to avoid consuming suspicious substances. According to him, drug criminals are trying to sell the pills at prices lower than the usual. 

What makes the pills dangerous is that some of them do contain the active ingredient and some do not. «If the consumer seeks to achieve intoxication, he eats the pill but intoxication will not occur; then he eats the next one, and so on. Thus, a very high overdose risk is created,» said Mr Loho.

«In case of ecstasy overdoses, the victim should be given a cooling drink and calmed down. In case of high fever, his clothes must be soaked with water. If cramps occur or body temperature won’t go down, call the ambulance by dialling the short code 112,» said the policeman.

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