Police warning over danger ecstasy pills

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has warned people to 'be careful' after a teenager collapsed, with officers suspecting he took a high-purity amount of ecstasy.

The 16-year-old was discovered by a member of the public after he fell ill in Bilton Road, Rugby, in Warwickshire, on New Year's Eve.

Police seized ecstasy from the scene, which were found to be high purity tablets after testing.

It was also discovered that the pills possibly contained the Audi car logo, with some showing the letters 'AU' on them.

Now, Mr Jamieson has warned that the drugs are thought to be circulating in the wider West Midlands.

Linking to the Warwickshire story on Twitter, Mr Jamieson said: "WARNING FROM WARWICKSHIRE POLICE: A quantity of high purity ecstasy is thought to be in circulation in the wider West Midlands.

"A 16-year-old boy fell critically ill in Rugby after police suspect he took some. Full story here, but please be careful."

Detective Inspector of Warwickshire Police, Dave Andrews, said: "While it is too early to speculate on the circumstances leading up to the boy falling ill it is important to remind people of the dangers of taking illegal drugs.

"We strongly advise anyone to consider the consequences of taking any illegal substance; both in terms of their health and the legal consequences.

"We're particularly concerned in this case because of the discovery of high-purity ecstasy. I would urge anyone with ecstasy matching the description of that seized not to take it.

"We have launched a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances leading up to the boy being taken ill and whether any criminal actions contributed to his condition."

Anyone with information that could help police with their enquires can call 101 quoting incident 327 of 31 December 2018. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.