Meth-laced beer case: Name suppression lapses for manslaughter defendant Himatjit Singh Kahlon

Himatjit Kahlon appears in Auckland District Court in May after a man died drinking meth-laced Honey Bear beer. Photo / Jason Oxenham

An Auckland man who was charged with manslaughter this year after police said a 21-year-old unknowingly drank a can of beer laced with high-purity liquid methamphetamine - resulting in a fatal overdose - can be identified by name for the first time.

Interim name suppression lapsed this evening for Manurewa resident Himatjit Singh Kahlon, 40, who is set to go to trial in October next year.

Aiden Sagala died on March 7 in Auckland City Hospital after police said he “innocently sat down for a beer”, not realising it contained any other substance.

His death sparked Operation Lavender, a wider investigation into an alleged methamphetamine importation operation, as well as a warning to the public not to consume cans labelled Honey Bear House Beer - packaged in a distinctive red and blue aluminium can with imagery of a bear and a maple leaf.

In the course of the investigation, police reported seizing 747 kilograms of methamphetamine in Manukau - thought to be the biggest meth bust in New Zealand to date. The street value for such an amount would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Aiden Sagala died after drinking beer contaminated with methamphetamine in March.

“This figure comprises crystallised methamphetamine as well as methamphetamine extracted from the cans found at the address,” a police spokesperson earlier told the Herald.

In addition to the manslaughter charge, Kahlon faces charges of possession of methamphetamine for supply and supplying a Class-A controlled drug. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Another man, 31, is facing similar charges for the alleged drug offending but has not been accused of manslaughter. He has been granted interim name suppression until his trial is completed.

A man with name suppression appears in Auckland District Court via an audio-video feed charged with methamphetamine importation. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Both men appeared at a hearing in the High Court at Auckland in July in which the Crown opposed continuing name suppression. Several media outlets, including the Herald, also argued against continuing suppression for the men.

Justice Rebecca Edwards late last month allowed suppression to continue for the 31-year-old but denied it for Kahlon. However, she allowed Kahlon’s additional four-week period to consider whether he would appeal the decision to the Court of Appeal.

He opted not to.

Police have said Sagala, the man who died, was not involved in importing or distributing the contaminated beer “in any way”.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.