Michael Morrah sits down with Aiden Sagala’s family for an in-depth look at a case which shocked the nation. Video Dean Purcell / Alyse Wright / Carson Bluck
Himatjit “Jimmy” Kahlon was found guilty of manslaughter and serious drug charges in Auckland last year.
Kahlon gave Aiden Sagala, 21, beer contaminated with methamphetamine, leading to Sagala’s overdose death.
In the High Court at Auckland, Kahlon was sentenced to 21 years in jail and his co-defendant was jailed for 22 years.
A Fonterra manager who gave a young employee a slab of imported beer contaminated with a deadly dose of concentrated liquid methamphetamine has been sentenced to 21 years in prison, as the victim’s family described a “nightmare that never ends” in court.
Himatjit “Jimmy” Kahlon, 42, was found guilty by jurors in the High Court at Auckland last October of manslaughter and possession of methamphetamine for supply.
Aiden Sagala, 21, died on March 7, 2023, when his heart failed from a huge meth overdose – drugs he unknowingly consumed after they were imported in beer cans and stashed in a rented warehouse in Manukau.
In the High Court at Auckland today, Justice Kiri Tahana sentenced Kahlon to 21 years in prison for manslaughter and the possession of meth for supply. A minimum period of imprisonment of 10 years was applied.
Justice Tahana accepted the Crown’s claim that Kahlon was involved in a meth operation that imported between 628kg and 741kg for supply.
“I accept that you did not know that the cans you gave to Mr Sagala contained methamphetamine, but you did know that many of the Honey Bear cans contained methamphetamine because you were involved with the extraction,” the judge said.
“You obviously had the autonomy to take trays of beer and give them to your work colleagues ... I accept you were involved in all aspects of the extraction and processing of methamphetamine.
“Giving trays of beer away when you knew those trays were part of a larger operation of methamphetamine was extremely dangerous.”
Kahlon wept in the dock today as Sagala’s mother, Lila, described the “unbearable” trauma of the day her son died and how her “life has been shattered” ever since.
“Burying my own child is a pain I hope no parent ever has to endure ... Aiden’s absence is felt in every moment ... there will always be an empty chair at the table, a missing piece of our hearts,” Lila Sagala said.
His father, Ma’a Sagala, addressed Kahlon sternly in the dock after delivering a victim impact statement that left him weeping with his head in his hands. “I stand before this court today as a broken man,” Ma’a Sagala said.
Kahlon was acquitted of one major drug charge: possession of cocaine for supply.
One of Aiden’s four sisters, Angela, delivered a victim impact statement in court today that described the devastating effect his death has had on her entire family.
“Aiden was not just my baby brother, he was my heart,” Angela Sagala said.
“He had big dreams, not just for himself but for our whole family … his life was stolen from us.
“That one act of recklessness shattered my family forever. I remember that day like a nightmare that never ends.”
Last year, prosecutors described Kahlon as one of two men who schemed to import 700kg of liquid meth – an amount that, conservatively, would have sold for $80 million on the street – into New Zealand via 28,800 cans of Honey Bear House Beer and 22,680 bottles of kombucha.
Most of the beverages did actually contain beer and kombucha, to keep up the ruse of a legitimate import business. But the beer could not be resold in New Zealand because it didn’t have the proper labelling, so it was given away by Kahlon to friends, family and Fonterra colleagues, prosecutors said.
“It’s plain he wanted to be seen as the fun boss,” prosecutor Robin McCoubrey told jurors during his closing address earlier this week. “These cans are worthless, other than the cans containing the meth ... so you might as well give them away.”
Kahlon recklessly caused Sagala’s death by knowing that some of the cans contained a deadly dose of illegal drugs but taking the risk of handing them out anyway, authorities alleged.
But defence lawyer Emma Priest disagreed with the basic premise that her client knew any of the beer contained methamphetamine. He was duped and taken advantage of, she said, by his co-defendant – a man with ongoing name suppression who pleaded guilty to multiple drug charges on the eve of trial.
“Mr Kahlon’s actions in giving away beers have resulted in the death of Aiden Sagala,” Priest said. “No one is disputing the tragedy in this case.
“Mr Kahlon accepts this, he is devastated by it and he will live with it for the rest of his life.”
But without knowing there was a risk in the first place, he couldn’t have been criminally reckless, she argued.
It makes no sense that he would have given out hundreds of cans of beer, and even drunk some himself the day after Sagala had overdosed, if he knew they were tainted and was trying to hide a major drug importation operation, Priest told jurors.
“He blindly trusted a man that he respected,” she said. “His trust of people, sadly, has been his downfall.”
In sentencing Kahlon today, Justice Tahana set a starting point of 28 years for the charge of possession of methamphetamine for supply, which included an uplift of two years for manslaughter. From that starting point, she applied a 25% reduction for the impact Kahlon’s jail sentence would have on his young children, his previous good character, remorse and rehabilitation prospects and time already spent on bail.
Kahlon’s involvement in the meth operation was considered to be on the lower end of significant, and Justice Tahana described Kahlon’s manslaughter conviction as having “no directly comparable cases”.
‘We have heard your devastation’
Justice Tahana addressed the Sagala family in the High Court today after a harrowing series of victim impact statements continually interrupted by tears.
“We have heard your devastation,” Justice Tahana said.
The judge also acknowledged the family’s great generosity in forgiving Kahlon.
Aiden Sagala died after drinking beer contaminated with methamphetamine. Photo / via Facebook
Aiden Sagala’s oldest sister, Rachel Sagala Raeli, said she had “been beating myself up for not being around for him … it broke me mentally inside”.
“It reached the point where I was about to give up my studies. I was lost, overwhelmed. For almost two years now I have been trying to get used to the fact he is gone forever. It still hurts because he was our only brother who could keep our family name alive. Aiden’s death has also caused financial hardship for us. We had no money for a [proper] funeral.
“Aiden’s death and how he died put a scar in my heart. I know for sure this is the same with my parents and sisters. It feels like we have not felt inner healing.”
Ma’a Sagala was distraught as he read his statement.
“Aiden was my only son and he was meant to carry my family name. Aiden was everything to me. Only God knows my heart … Aiden was more than just my son,” he said.
“My companion, my greatest pride. He ensured that my wife and I were taken care of.”
He said his son’s death “has destroyed my family’s world”.
Angela Sagala recalls getting a call when out one night from her partner telling her to come home.
“He said Aiden was having a seizure,” she said.
“When I arrived home I saw Aiden lying on the floor gasping for breath.”
She described the ride to the hospital as the “longest and most painful of my life”.
“I failed, I blame myself for not seeing the danger … What if I had stopped him from drinking that beer? What if I had got him home sooner? I wake up every day carrying the weight of his loss.”
The Sagala Family read a series of victim impact statements in court today at the sentencing of Himatjit Singh Kahlon for the manslaughter of their son, Aiden Sagala. Photo / Carson Bluck
Well-known businessman also jailed for 22 years
Although 10 years Kahlon’s junior, the man with name suppression was a well-known businessman who has also garnered respect in the community for an unusual reason that cannot currently be reported.
The co-defendant was sentenced to 22 years in prison for charges including importing meth, possession of meth for supply and possession of cocaine for supply.
Justice Tahana said a starting point of 32 years in prison is appropriate compared with similar drug importation cases. But the judge gave reductions of 30% – the details of which are suppressed. The man was sentenced to an adjusted starting point of 22 years in prison with a minimum period of imprisonment (MPI) of 10 years.
“Given this is the highest quantity of meth imported into New Zealand that has come before the courts … I am satisfied that an MPI should be imposed … It is very important that others should be deterred,” Justice Tahana said.
The co-defendant pleaded guilty to importing between 628kg and 741kg of meth and 2.3kg of cocaine.
“Quantity is a proxy for the relative harm done by the drug,” Justice Tahana said.
There is no dispute that band five, the highest category in the importation of meth, applies to this case, Justice Tahana said.
“I do accept that due to the international nature of the importations you were not at the top of the hierarchy,” the judge said to the co-defendant, but she added she did not believe the co-defendant was below Kahlon in this operation.
Justice Tahana said it was not clear how much significance should be given to the quantity of drug versus the role of the defendant in the importation, in sentencing.
The Crown said the co-defendant had imported a “huge quantum [of drugs and was] someone who was very involved” in the importation and was “clearly motivated by financial advantage”.
Justice Tahana said the fact the meth was imported in food, as opposed to a car engine, for example, was an “aggravating factor” in terms of the potential for harm.
Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield disputed that concealing the drugs in a beverage was an “aggravating factor” because “it always has to be stopped and delivered to someone specifically”.
“There is no risk, because of the value of this product, of making its way into the mainstream ordinarily,” Mansfield argued.
“The control over something as valuable as this is high.”
Manslaughter and possession of methamphetamine for supply both carry maximum sentences of life imprisonment.
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