Five Mexican men have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to produce methamphetamine at a farm in Warwickshire, telling Warwickshire Crown Court they had been legitimately working there as a chef and builders rather than running a drugs operation. The case follows a raid last month by the National Crime Agency and Warwickshire Police, who found what officials described as a Breaking Bad-style meth lab on a remote rural property, drawing comparisons to the hit television series about clandestine drug production.

The defendants, all in their forties, are Alejandro Ambriz Dimas, Victora Ramirez, Fausto Beltran, Lioncio Moso Borja and Jose Nunez Angolo, with four of the five from Mexico's Sinaloa region, once headed by cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. They deny the collective charge covering the period between February and August this year, with defence lawyers telling the court their clients were employed on legitimate farm and construction work at the site near Furnace End. Police released a photo showing a basement containing gas canisters, plastic tubs and tubing. All five were remanded in custody, with a trial set for February 2027 expected to last up to a month.