--- description: Tainted bootleg alcohol has killed 82 people in Indonesia, and hospitalized dozens more title: 82 Dead in Indonesia After Drinking Tainted Bootleg Liquor image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f966b0ee33c1c55/69892d73cf40a8868dc4be68/rtx5m9le.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [indonesia](/tag/indonesia/) ## indonesia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Toxic 'Bootleg' Alcohol Killed 82 People in Indonesia Last Week by [Laignee Barron](/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 12, 2018 4:28 AM CUT  Police in Jakarta, Indonesia prepare evidence linked to the production and sale of illegal bootleg liquor on April 11, 2018. Police in Jakarta, Indonesia prepare evidence linked to the production and sale of illegal bootleg liquor on April 11, 2018.Willy Kurniawan—Reuters by [Laignee Barron](/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 12, 2018 4:28 AM CUT Tainted bootleg alcohol killed [82 people](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-alcohol/death-toll-from-indonesia-tainted-liquor-rises-to-82-idUSKBN1HI1LN "undefined") near Indonesia’s capital last week, and hospitalized dozens more, Reuters reports. Laboratory tests revealed the deadly brew contained pure alcohol mixed with herbal beverages and high-caffeine energy drinks. A police official also reportedly said at least one suspect included mosquito repellent in the concoction. In Jakarta and the neighboring province, police found thousands of bottles and plastic bags containing the bootleg mix, which was sold for around 20,000 rupiah ($1.45) per bag, according to Reuters. Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, levies heavy taxes on alcohol, prompting some to make their own liquor. While bootleg home brews have occasionally been linked to fatalities, this is the deadliest instance reported in years. In 2016, 36 people reportedly died after drinking a homemade batch of alcohol. “This is a crazy phenomenon that has caused tremendous loss for the public in the past week,” deputy national police chief Syafruddin told Reuters. “We must trace it to the roots, who the masterminds are and the distributors,” Syafruddin said. Police have detained around a dozen men who are suspected of making and selling the liquor. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5237269/indonesia-82-deaths-bootleg-liquor/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5237269/indonesia-82-deaths-bootleg-liquor/"},"headline":"Toxic 'Bootleg' Alcohol Killed 82 People in Indonesia Last Week","datePublished":"2018-04-12T04:28:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T19:56:33.855Z","description":"Home brews are not uncommon in Muslim-majority Indonesia, which places high taxes on alcohol","url":"https://time.com/5237269/indonesia-82-deaths-bootleg-liquor/","keywords":["indonesia","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f966b0ee33c1c55/69892d73cf40a8868dc4be68/rtx5m9le.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laignee Barron","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f966b0ee33c1c55/69892d73cf40a8868dc4be68/rtx5m9le.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Police prepare evidence during a press conference regarding the arrests of suspects linked to the production and sale of illegal bootleg alcohol which claimed the lives of more than 80 people this week in Jakarta","caption":"Police prepare evidence during a press conference regarding the arrests of suspects linked to the production and sale of illegal bootleg alcohol which claimed the lives of more than 80 people this week in Jakarta","creditText":"Willy Kurniawan—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/indonesia/","name":"indonesia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5237269/indonesia-82-deaths-bootleg-liquor/","name":"Toxic 'Bootleg' Alcohol Killed 82 People in Indonesia Last Week"}}]}] ```