Man arrested after youths allegedly supplied home brew hospitalised with alcohol poisoning

A man has been arrested in Dunedin after several young people became sick from drinking alcohol he allegedly supplied to them. Photo / File

A Dunedin man has been arrested after several young people were hospitalised with alcohol poisoning, allegedly from home brew he supplied them.

The man was arrested after police executed a search warrant earlier today.

The search warrant was carried out following the hospitalisation of several young people for alcohol poisoning in the last few days.

Senior Sergeant Ben Butterfield said a "significant amount" of home-brewed beer and spirits was recovered during the search warrant, as well as evidence of alcohol being supplied to minors.

A 64-year-old Dunedin man was arrested and he will appear in court at a later date facing charges in relation to the unlicensed supply of alcohol.

"The supply of home brewed spirits to young people is particularly troubling, as there is no way to gauge the strength or quality of the product," Butterfield said.

"We are lucky we are not dealing with a real tragedy as a result of this person's actions.

"Police are committed to reducing the harm that alcohol causes in our community and we hope that this will send a clear message that police will not tolerate behaviour of this kind."

Butterfield said anyone who chooses to profit from illegal sales of alcohol "will face consequences for their actions".

Anyone who has information regarding the illegal sale or supply of alcohol is asked to contact Dunedin Police on 03 471 4800.