An entactogen with stimulant and mild psychedelic properties
A Malaysian airline pilot has been arrested at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport after arrival from Kuala Lumpur. Authorities say the officer, identified by initials MS (or MSO in some reports), is connected to a haul of more than 70,000 ecstasy pills and methamphetamine found in his luggage. Drug tests indicate impairment during the flight; Malaysia Airlines is conducting an internal review.
Europol-led operations have arrested dozens in Spain and Ecuador in a drug-smuggling ring linked to Dubai investors. The crackdown targets a network moving South American cocaine and MDMA into Europe, with shipments hidden in commercial containers and bananas. The operation has involved dozens of raids and the seizure of vessels, cash, and weapons.
Police have seized nitrous oxide canisters and ecstasy at Creamfields in Daresbury, Cheshire, ahead of the August bank holiday festival. Officers say more searches will continue as organisers maintain a strict anti-drug policy.
Pills molded with Donald Trump’s head and stamped “Trump NL” have been seized at drug-testing centers. The Trimbos Institute warns they contain PMMA, a slow-acting stimulant linked to overheating and overdose risks. Authorities say the pills are illegal and caution users nationwide.
This week has seen several medical research and regulatory developments. Insilico Medicine has reported that its experimental drug rentosertib changed blood‑protein patterns that aging clocks read as three to four years younger in a small trial. Stanford teams have published studies showing they can grow hindbrain neurons separately and implant human cortical organoids into mice. The US health department has appointed permanent directors for three FDA centers.