Meth-laced beer case: Trial date set for man charged with Honey Bear Beer manslaughter

Two co-defendants with name suppression appear in Auckland District Court for an earlier hearing after being charged with methamphetamine importation. Photo / Jason Oxenham

A trial date has been set for next year for an Auckland man who was charged with illegal drug supply and manslaughter after another man is believed to have died drinking a can of beer laced with high-purity liquid methamphetamine.

The 40-year-old appeared for the first time in the High Court at Auckland today alongside his 30-year-old co-defendant, who also faces drug-related charges but not manslaughter. Both men continue to have interim name suppression.

Justice Sally Fitzgerald began the hearing by acknowledging the family of Aiden Sagala, who died on March 7 in Auckland City Hospital after police said he “innocently sat down for a beer” not realising that it was laced with drugs.

Sagala’s 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 seized a large quantity of methamphetamine and other drugs in Manukau with a preliminary estimated street value thought to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Police warned the public to avoid cans labelled Honey Bear House Beer. Photo / Supplied

The 40-year-old defendant has been charged with possession of methamphetamine for supply, supplying a Class A controlled drug, and manslaughter, while the 30-year-old has been charged with possession of methamphetamine for supply, supplying a Class A controlled drug and importing methamphetamine.

If convicted, each man could face sentences of up to life imprisonment.

Lawyer Emma Priest, representing the 40-year-old, noted to the judge today that her client already pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge during his last appearance in Auckland District Court in May, before the matter was transferred to the High Court.

Fletcher Pilditch, KC, representing the 30-year-old, noted that his client has already pleaded not guilty to the original drug-related charges filed against his client. He sought deemed not guilty pleas for new drug charges that were filed in recent weeks.

Justice Fitzgerald set a trial date for October 2024.

Aiden Sagala died after drinking beer allegedly contaminated with methamphetamine. Photo / Supplied

“With the Covid pandemic, we have a large backlog,” she said told three of Sagala’s supporters who sat in the back of the courtroom with a victim coordinator, apologetically explaining that under normal circumstances the wait for a trial would be about one year.

Interim name suppression will remain in place until at least July, when a hearing on the matter is set to take place. The Crown has opposed continued suppression.