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'My brother turned blue': Aiden Sagala's sister testifies in meth-laced beer trial

Author
Michael Morrah,
Publish Date
Wed, 16 Oct 2024, 2:35pm

'My brother turned blue': Aiden Sagala's sister testifies in meth-laced beer trial

Author
Michael Morrah,
Publish Date
Wed, 16 Oct 2024, 2:35pm

The sister of Aiden Sagala says her brother became agitated and 鈥渢urned blue鈥� when he collapsed at home after unknowingly consuming a meth-laced can of beer.

The trial of Himatjit Singh Kahlon, 40, accused of the manslaughter of Sagala, 21, in March last year is under way at the High Court in Auckland.

Kahlon has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, possessing methamphetamine for supply and possessing cocaine for supply between January 7 and March 14, 2023.

The Crown told the court Kahlon was Sagala鈥檚 workmate at Fonterra who had given him several free beers which were branded as 鈥淗oney Bear House Bear鈥�.

Angela Sagala, sister of Aiden Sagala, was called as a witness in the trial of Himatjit Singh Kahlon who has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. Photo / Supplied
Angela Sagala, sister of Aiden Sagala, was called as a witness in the trial of Himatjit Singh Kahlon who has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. Photo / Supplied

Sagala鈥檚 sister, Angela Sagala, was not at home on March 2, 2023, the evening her brother collapsed after drinking from one of the cans while at home in Auckland鈥檚 One Tree Hill.

She told the court her partner Billy Anelusi - who was with her brother the time - phoned her to say Aiden had become agitated.

鈥淗e called me, and I could hear my brother in the background screaming, calling out my mum鈥檚 name,鈥� she told the court.

鈥淚 sped through a lot of red lights鈥� to get home, she said.

Once home, Angela, a physician at North Shore Hospital, said Sagala was on the floor and Anelusi was trying to calm him down. 鈥淗e was really agitated and in a fit鈥�

She said an ambulance was called four or five times before it arrived more than an hour after first being called.

鈥淢y brother turned blue. I knew he had taken something, or it was an overdose,鈥� Angela Sagala told the court.

Angela began CPR on her brother.

鈥楲ike he was possessed鈥�

Aiden Sagala died after drinking beer contaminated with methamphetamine. picture supplied
Aiden Sagala died after drinking beer contaminated with methamphetamine. picture supplied

Anelusi told the court Sagala ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth after trying the beer and returned to ask his brother-in-law, 鈥渄o beers taste salty?鈥�

Anelusi said they should not and tried the can Sagala was drinking from.

鈥淢y first reaction was to spit it out. It had a salty, chemical taste. I brushed my teeth two or three times. It took a minute or two to get rid of the taste,鈥� he said.

Sagala had a shower and when he came out Anelusi said he appeared upset.

鈥淗e came storming out looking at us and said, I鈥檓 about to die,鈥� he told the court.

鈥淗e looked like he was about to turn into a statue.鈥�

Sagala then collapsed and fell to the floor.

Anelusi told the court Kahlon came to visit him at his home when Aiden was in hospital to try and retrieve the remaining beers from his house.

鈥滻t was strange. He messaged asking if he could come over to talk. He drove into the driveway and was saying he felt guilty about something which I still didn鈥檛 understand,鈥� he said.

Anelusi told the court he asked him to stay calm, and Kahlon responded asked 鈥渄o you still have the beers.鈥�

鈥滺e didn鈥檛 come over to talk about Aiden. He came over for those beers,鈥� he said.

Meth level 鈥榦ff the charts鈥�

Aiden Sagala of Auckland died after drinking beer allegedly contaminated with methamphetamine. Photo / supplied

Aiden Sagala of Auckland died after drinking beer allegedly contaminated with methamphetamine. Photo / supplied

The methamphetamine level in Sagala鈥檚 body when he died of an overdose after consuming the drug from the laced beer can was 鈥渙ff the charts鈥�, according to Crown lawyer Pip McNabb.

The Crown said Sagala, an innocent party in an alleged drug importation ring, was given the cans by the defendant. Some cans did contain actual beer.

However, on the evening of March 2, 2023, when Sagala cracked open a can he told his brother-in-law Anelusi the contents 鈥渢asted salty鈥�.

Anelusi tried the beer and 鈥渟pat it out鈥� because it had a chemical taste, according to McNabb.

Sagala later suffered a seizure and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

Five days later, on March 7, he died from what the Crown today said was a 鈥渟ignificant鈥� methamphetamine overdose.

The meth levels were 鈥渙ff the charts鈥� according to McNabb.

The Crown alleges Kahlon鈥檚 fingerprints were later found on several items inside an industrial unit on Ryan Place in Manukau, where police found thousands of cans.

McNabb said Kahlon tried to get rid of the 鈥渨orthless鈥� cans that didn鈥檛 contain methamphetamine by giving them to friends and family.

Sagala, who worked at Fonterra with the defendant, was given several cans wrapped in plastic.

The Crown鈥檚 case is that Kahlon 鈥渄id not take reasonable care or precaution鈥� to ensure the cans didn鈥檛 contain methamphetamine.

鈥淗e failed to discharge his duty and is criminally responsible鈥� for Sagala鈥檚 death, McNabb told the court.

A 鈥榗ommunity-minded man鈥�

Cans of the Honey Bear House Beer, some of which were laced with meth, were seized by police from a warehouse on Ryan Pl, Manukau. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Cans of the Honey Bear House Beer, some of which were laced with meth, were seized by police from a warehouse on Ryan Pl, Manukau. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Kahlon鈥檚 lawyer, Emma Priest, told the court her client was a 鈥渃ommunity-minded man鈥� who had 鈥渘o idea鈥� methamphetamine was in the cans provided to Sagala.

She said Kahlon, also known as Jimmy Kahlon, was exploited by another man, who has admitted drugs charges in relation to the importation scheme which saw thousands of the cans imported into New Zealand.

Priest claimed Kahlon was taken advantage of by 鈥渙ne of the very worst鈥�.

Priest said her client was a family man who worked at Fonterra as a team leader and always wanted to help others.

鈥淛immy Kahlon鈥檚 blind faith in people meant he had no idea what [the co-accused] had pulled him into, and had no idea meth was in the Honey Bear that killed his workmate,鈥� she said.

Sagala鈥檚 death was a 鈥渢errible accident with the most tragic of outcomes鈥�, she said.

Sagala鈥檚 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 鈥� packaged in a distinctive red and blue aluminium can with imagery of a bear and a maple leaf.

Sagala was innocent, and police said he had no role in the drug importation.

In the course of the investigation, police reported seizing 747kg of methamphetamine in Manukau. The street value was in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Police seized dozens of the Honey Bear House Beer cans from a Manukau unit as part of their investigation.

The trial is expected to run for three weeks, and the Crown is expected to call 48 witnesses.

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