Meth-Laced Beers Are Circulating the Black Market and No One Knows Where They’re Coming From

A scourge of innocuously packaged meth-laced beers has been reported throughout New Zealand and police are attempting to crack down on the source. (Photo: NZ Police)

On March 7th, New Zealander Aiden Sagala passed away after unknowingly drinking a beer that was contaminated with methamphetamine. He had reportedly been given a 24-pack by a colleague.

Now, police across the country are issuing health warnings as they rush to track down “Honey Bear House Beer” cans that continue to circulate on the black market.

The 473 ml beers look innocuous enough at first, contained within colorful blue and red packaging you’d typically associate with craft beers or IPAS. Not sold in stores, police suspect that the beers are being passed around communities either wittingly or unwittingly.

Though media attention surrounding the beers largely died down following Sagala’s death, police action revealing the depth of the issue has brought about renewed concerns.

On March 16, a raid on a warehouse in Manukau, Auckland found several shipments worth of the beer being readied for transport, within which was identified at least 328kg of methamphetamine – more than a quarter ton.

Over the past month, police have snagged an additional two arrests on individuals accused of importing and supplying the beers within New Zealand.

Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin stated that the investigation “is by no means over yet […] Our investigation continues to develop at pace, and we cannot rule out further arrests or charges as a result.”

The exact quantity in circulation is still unknown, though the beers appear to have established traction at an unfortunate rate; Honey Bear House Beer even has its own community reviews page on Untappd, a beer-focused social networking platform.

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