Champagne spiked with ecstasy left 1 person dead and 8 hospitalized over Valentine's Day weekend

• One person died and eight others were hospitalized after drinking spiked champagne.
• The victims were dining at an Italian restaurant in Germany over Valentine's Day weekend.

Spiked champagne left one man dead and eight other people hospitalized over Valentine's Day weekend, the AP reported.

The group of people had ordered a bottle of sparkling wine and shared a toast at an Italian restaurant in Bavaria, Germany on Saturday night. According to officials, the bottle had been laced with ecstasy, an illegal psychedelic drug.

After sipping the champagne, drinkers began having seizures, passing out, cramping and otherwise experiencing symptoms of poisoning, the Daily Beast reported. Police arrived to find some of the patrons on the floor, and eight people were hospitalized. One 52-year-old man later died in the emergency room. Eight people, ranging in age from 33 to 52, are still in critical condition, police said.

Toxicology reports found the champagne contained 1,000 times the normal dose of ecstasy, so much that the beverage had turned purple, according to the Daily Beast. Police do not believe the drinkers were aware of the drug or had added it themselves, German media reported, although it's not clear where the drug came from or who added it to the champagne. Law enforcement is investigating where the restaurant obtained the champagne and if other bottles may have been tainted. Previously, champagne bottles have been used by drug traffickers to smuggle both liquid and pill forms of ecstasy.

Ecstasy, otherwise known as MDMA or molly, is a party drug with stimulating and hallucinogenic effects, known for amplifying sensations and causing euphoria. It's popular at music festivals, and often cut with other drugs, including the addictive anesthetic drug ketamine, research has shown.

Ecstasy can be toxic in large quantities, but research suggests it may not be life-threatening in most situations. However, ecstasy can have fatal interactions with other drugs, research shows, or lead users into risky situations, resulting in side effects like severe dehydration, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Since both ecstasy and alcohol are processed through the liver, mixing them can be dangerous, possibly causing high blood pressure, impaired movement and decision making, and potential overdose, studies suggest.