European Authorities Warn of Deadly Contaminated Champagne

One person has died and 11 others became severely ill after drinking champagne contaminated with high doses of MDMA, health officials in Europe said.

Two separate incidents — one in Germany, one in the Netherlands — involved 3-liter bottles of Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial champagne that were purchased from the same website, which health authorities have not named.

It’s not yet clear if the bottles were spiked, or if they were the product of a drug-smuggling campaign, according to reports.

Dutch authorities warned consumers about Moet bottles with lot number LAJ7QAB6780004, advising that if a bottle is contaminated with MDMA, the liquid may have a reddish-brown color, and may solidify over time. The drug can also produce an anise scent, they said.

They further cautioned that “touching and/or drinking the contents of the bottles is life-threatening.” Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain stated that “tasting the liquid, even without swallowing, can lead to serious health problems.”

In Germany, a 52-year-old man died after drinking the contaminated champagne at La Vita restaurant in Weiden on February 13. After the bottle was opened at the table, the man took a large sip of champagne and collapsed while foaming at the mouth, according to reports. Seven other guests who also drank the champagne had seizures and were foaming at the mouth. All were ages 33 to 52.

German police stated the champagne bottle contained 1,000 times a typical dose of MDMA.

In the Netherlands, four people became ill and had to be hospitalized after drinking the contaminated champagne, reports stated.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), MDMA — also known as ecstasy or Molly — is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens. It increases the activity of the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, and its effects can last 3 to 6 hours, though many users take a second dose as the effects of the first dose begin to fade, according to NIDA.

While MDMA is usually taken in capsule or tablet form, it can be taken in liquid form, NIDA said. Pills, capsules, or powders may contain other drugs instead of or in addition to MDMA, including cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine, cough medicine, or synthetic cathinones which are also known as “bath salts.”

The German and Dutch incidents were flagged by an alert service from the International Society for Infectious Diseases. A moderator raised several unanswered questions: “What is mysterious about this situation is how did the ecstasy get into the bottles? How much ecstasy was in the bottles? Were the bottles not opened in the presence of the patrons? If they weren’t opened, could someone in the establishments have spiked them? If they were opened in their presence, when was the drug put into the bottles? When were the bottles filled and corked? Was a tiny hole drilled into the cork and the drug added to the bottle of champagne via a needle? Or perhaps it happened at the bottling facility and there are more ‘spiked’ bottles? Hopefully there will be a follow-up on the outcome of these champagne bottles.”