Multiple overseas publications, including the Times of India – the world’s highest-circulation English-language daily in the world, with millions of readers – reported Baltej Singh’s name in relation to the drug arrest in 2023. Baltej Singh appears in Auckland District Court via audio-video feed charged with methamphetamine importation after a man died from accidentally drinking meth-laced beer. That was among the arguments made by the Herald, Stuff and Crown prosecutors in December 2024, when Baltej Singh made an application for permanent name suppression after his guilty pleas. Because of the restrictions placed on the media, the Herald has until now referred to Baltej Singh only as “a well-known businessman” who had garnered respect from some aspects of society “for an unusual reason”. However, none of the social media threats from people who already knew Baltej Singh’s identity had resulted in real-world violence, the Court of Appeal noted.

Source: Stuff March 31, 2026 09:02 UTC