Two men behind New Zealand’s largest-ever methamphetamine importation have failed in their final attempt to overturn their prison sentences, after the Supreme Court dismissed their applications for leave to appeal.
As per Stuff, the Supreme Court ruled that the lengthy sentences imposed on Baltej Singh and Himatjit Singh Kahlon — 22 years and 21 years respectively — along with 10-year minimum non-parole periods, were fully justified given the extreme seriousness of their offending.
The case centres on an international drug trafficking operation that brought up to 741kg of methamphetamine into New Zealand, concealed in shipments including beer and kombucha bottles.
The Court found that the scale of the operation and its devastating consequences for the community meant strong sentences were necessary for deterrence, denunciation and accountability.
The judgment also referenced the real-world harm caused by the drug ring, including the death of 21-year-old Aiden Sagala, who died after consuming methamphetamine-laced alcohol unknowingly provided within the network.
Kahlon was also convicted of manslaughter alongside drug supply offences.
Singh, described in court as a senior figure in the syndicate and a businessman in South Auckland, had previously sought permanent name suppression but later abandoned that bid. He is also the nephew of one of the bodyguards involved in the 1984 assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The Supreme Court said there was no basis to reconsider established sentencing principles or to find any miscarriage of justice in the earlier rulings.
The Court of Appeal had previously upheld the sentences, finding the harm caused by the operation “could not be overstated”.
The Supreme Court panel — comprising Justices Ellen France, William Young and Kós — ultimately concluded that the gravity of the offending meant the sentences must stand.
Both men will continue serving their lengthy prison terms with minimum non-parole periods intact.
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