The suspects allegedly formed part of a crime gang manufacturing the drug on farmland near a village. National Crime Agency investigators arrested them
Five Mexican men have been accused of setting up a meth lab on remote British farmland. The suspects allegedly formed part of a crime gang manufacturing methamphetamine at the rural site near Furnace End, Warwickshire.
National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators swooped on the location last month as part of a probe into the suspected production of the highly addictive Class A drug.
Five men were arrested on August 13 and have since been charged with conspiracy to produce methamphetamine. Four of the accused hail from Culiacan in Sinaloa, north-west Mexico, while the fifth is from Michoacan in the south of the country.
The defendants are Alejandro Ambriz Dimas, 45, Victora Ramirez, 47, Fausto Beltran, 33, Lioncio Moso Borja, 37, and Jose Nunez Angolo, 44.
The men initially appeared at Coventry Magistrates’ Court following their arrests and were remanded in custody. They are now due to appear before Warwickshire Crown Court on Thursday (September 10).
The alleged drugs operation was based on farmland near the small village of Furnace End. NCA officers carried out an operation at the site with support from other emergency services.
Warwickshire Police and West Midlands Fire Service were involved, while West Midlands Ambulance Service was placed on standby to assist.
Methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth, is classified as a Class A drug in Britain. The powerful stimulant was famously at the centre of hit US TV drama Breaking Bad, which saw chemistry teacher Walter White turn to manufacturing the drug.
All five defendants are accused of conspiracy to produce methamphetamine. The case against them has yet to be determined by the court.