EU Drug Market: MDMA — Actions to address current threats and increase preparedness
This resource is part of EU Drug Market: MDMA — In-depth analysis by the EUDA and Europol.
Last update: March 2025
The large-scale production of MDMA in the European Union poses a complex set of health and security problems. At the strategic level, two priority areas emerge.
- Improving the intelligence picture on MDMA trafficking, for both European and external markets, including the criminal networks involved. This will require enhanced monitoring, sharing and gathering of information in order to effectively address the associated health and social problems, including criminality.
- The reduction of MDMA production and distribution in the European Union, including by reducing the importation of designer precursors; disrupting precursor flows into the European Union and trafficking of the drug to consumer markets in Europe and beyond.
To respond to the current and future threats, the following actions are required.
Improve the strategic and intelligence picture: monitoring and detection
- Further enhance the exchange of operational and strategic information in order to improve the intelligence picture on MDMA trafficking and allow for targeted actions:
- Criminal networks, modi operandi, routes and enablers of MDMA trafficking in the European Union, innovation in the methods used to produce MDMA, expansion of production or processing to countries beyond the Netherlands and Belgium, the trafficking of MDMA oil within the European Union;
- Special attention is needed to address the EU-based production and trafficking of MDMA to global markets
- Enhance monitoring and control of precursors and essential chemicals used in MDMA production. Understanding of these critical elements need to be improved, particularly concerning the role of source countries, the trafficking of chemicals between Member States and how criminal networks adapt to legislation and control measures.
- Monitor, enhance intelligence gathering and investigate legal business structures established, acquired or infiltrated for illegal purposes, including the supply or procurement of precursors, essential chemicals and equipment for MDMA production.
- Enhance information sharing and data collection on the money-laundering infrastructure employed by EU-based MDMA traffickers, on which information is currently lacking. This includes enhanced monitoring of networks delivering financial services remotely through hubs outside the European Union.
- Improve data collection on MDMA, including further enhancing reporting and analysis of different consumer products available in Europe. While ecstasy tablets and MDMA powders/crystals are the main consumer products currently found on the market, there has been an emergence of other consumer products, such as sweets and edibles. Refining data collection methodologies to account for the different consumer products available in the European Union will enable a better understanding of market trends.
- Strengthen monitoring of the composition of ecstasy tablets in the European Union. Monitoring the composition of such tablets has been a useful indicator of broader market trends.
- Improve monitoring and understanding of the use of social media platforms and instant messaging applications used to distribute MDMA to consumers.
- Enhance monitoring and information sharing related to barter deals involving MDMA for cocaine and linkages between European and Latin American criminal networks in this area.
Strengthen responses to reduce supply and enhance security
- Ensure that cross-border investigations tackle the entire production and supply chain. In addition to EU producers of MDMA end products ready for distribution on user markets, identify and map the criminal networks involved in the production of precursors and MDMA oil in the European Union, as well as the criminal networks and brokers specialising in the supply of precursors, designer precursors, chemicals, reagents and equipment as a service to EU-based MDMA producers.
- Enhance targeted action against the support infrastructure that underpins MDMA production and trafficking in Europe, including legal business structures established, acquired or infiltrated for illegal purposes, document fraud and money laundering.
- Initiate investigations into high-value targets involved in MDMA trafficking. This has the potential to significantly disrupt serious and organised crime, as high-value targets operate at the upper echelons of criminal networks or may act as brokers, working with more than one criminal network involved in MDMA production, trafficking and distribution.
- Enhance the use of innovative technological solutions for detecting MDMA production laboratories and for tracing and intercepting online sales and shipments of both consumer products and precursors and essential chemicals.
- Strengthen precursor control, including the control of essential chemicals and equipment used in MDMA production. Further enhance the control and targeted actions against criminals sourcing chemicals and equipment from outside the European Union.
- Fully engage the EU-level cooperation frameworks, such as the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), operational task forces, joint investigation teams and other resources and capabilities of EU agencies with a relevant mandate in combating and preventing MDMA production and trafficking.
Strengthen international cooperation
- Further enhance cooperation between the Member States, EU institutions and international stakeholders, including the private sector working to reduce the supply of MDMA, precursors and other essential chemicals. This cooperation should be based on active engagement combined with an intensified exchange of operational and strategic information.
- Initiate multilateral investigations into criminal networks trafficking precursors into the European Union. Closer cooperation within the European Union is needed, but also externally with source countries for precursor chemicals, such as China. Intensify cooperation with countries linked to cocaine production and trafficking in order to counter barter deals of MDMA for cocaine between EU-based and Latin American criminal networks.
Investment in capacity-building
- Increase awareness of the threats related to MDMA market. Raise awareness and provide training for law enforcement on the criminal networks, routes, concealment methods and modi operandi used for trafficking MDMA, precursors and essential chemicals. In particular, the risk of smuggling MDMA base oil within the European Union and for export should be highlighted.
- Support the forensic analysis and chemical profiling of MDMA seizures. Greater efforts are needed to harmonise the routine forensic analysis of MDMA seizures in the European Union. The transfer of samples for chemical profiling should be facilitated by the Member States with a view to improving the intelligence picture and determining production methods.
- Enhance innovation and investment into advanced analytical tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to process and analyse data from a variety of sources, facilitating the early detection of emerging trends and the identification of novel methods for producing and distributing MDMA.
- Increase capacities to safely dismantle MDMA production sites. Training and access to specialised equipment are required for law enforcement and other first responders in order to manage the safety risks at locations related to MDMA production, chemical storage and waste dumping.
- Implement training programmes for law enforcement, including police, customs, forensic officers and other relevant stakeholders on the latest trends and techniques in MDMA production and trafficking.
Strengthen policy, public health and safety responses
- Further invest in development of prevention, harm reduction and treatment responses. There is a need for greater public awareness of the presence of high-strength ecstasy tablets on MDMA retail markets. Further attention should also be given to improving the understanding of how patterns of use differ between countries, which could have implications for harms associated with MDMA use.
- Enhance the understanding and awareness of the environmental impacts of MDMA production. An EU-wide analysis of the environmental impact of synthetic drug production is needed. This will inform the development of strategies and actions to address the environmental impacts of MDMA production, such as pollution, hazards to health and the economic costs associated with cleaning contaminated sites and disposing of chemical waste.