The Dutch product safety board has seized a consignment of 8,000 illegal slimming pills which include the banned drug amphetamine. 

The pills were found during a targeted campaign that involved raids on three homes and two company premises, the NVWA said in a statement. 

Most of the pills were found on company premises in Haarlem, including 27 packages branded Iomax and ready for sale. The owner of the property has been arrested on suspicion of illegal drug trading. 

Two people were arrested in Rotterdam, including one who was picked up last year for selling illegal slimming pills. Officials seized 1,800 Iomax capsules plus a quantity of anabolic steroids at that property.

Slimming pills such as Iomax, which is not an official name, can lead to serious health issues including palpitations, chest pain, nausea, and paranoia, the NVWA said. The illegal pills are sold online as “fat burners”. 

According to the AD, several people have been hospitalised after taking the pills. 

“It would appear that people are mixing powders together at the kitchen table and filling the capsules,” NVWA spokesman Lex Benden told the paper. “You have no idea what you are buying and the rubbish is unhygienic and dangerous.”