Two men were taken to hospital after taking pills sparking fresh warnings about the dangers of swallowing unknown substances, police said.
The men, aged 19 and 21, were taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in the early hours of this morning in a confused and paranoid state and suffering from pains in their legs, abdomen, jaw and gums, according to Police Scotland.
They had consumed bright red round pills with a diamond shaped logo, similar in appearance to ecstacy tablets. The men have since been discharged from hospital.
The incident follows a spate of deaths linked to illicit pills being passed off as ecstacy, which were green and stamped with a Rolex-style logo.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “The exact contents of these particular pills are unknown at this time.
“Public warnings have been issued recently in relation to the dangers of taking ecstasy, or indeed tablets being passed off as ecstasy and while these tablets are understood to have been purchased as legal highs we don’t know what they may contain.
“The impact of taking any tablet or pill you do not know the exact content of can be extremely dangerous and fatal in some cases.
“Taking it just once can be one time too many and I would urge people to avoid any such pills or drugs and report any information to the police.”
Dr Simon Hilton, consultant in public health medicine at NHS Grampian, said: “NHS Grampian would like to advise members of the public that these substances have not been tested for safety and therefore may present unforeseen dangers to their health.”