Dutch man reports stolen ecstasy collection to police

A man who says he spent two decades collecting Ecstasy pills of all colours and shapes as a hobby has turned to police for help after they were stolen -- because he says some of them are poisonous.

Police say the 46-year-old man, who was not identified, decided to report the theft despite the illegal nature of the collection because he was worried about the possible consequences if anybody swallowed one of the poisoned pills.

It was not immediately clear why about 40 red-and-white pills out of the 2,400-pill-strong collection would be poisoned, but the police say they fear the drugs could be lethal if swallowed.

A report in De Volkskrant daily on the same day said the man claimed he was not a drug dealer or user.

"I've tried it before but didn't like it," the report quoted him saying. "My passion for collecting comes from the varied collection of colours, shapes and logos that are printed on the pills."

According to a police statement, the man gathered the pills over a 20-year period and carefully stored them in coin-collecting folders.