From duke to drug baron: The real-life Gentlemen-style manor houses turned into crime dens after their cash-strapped owners were forced to sell up

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source From duke to drug baron: it's an unlikely turn of events documented in Guy Ritchie's action comedy The Gentlemen, which has returned to Netflix for a second series. asserted

The show sees the new Duke of Halstead Edward 'Eddie' Horniman, played by Theo James, unwittingly inherit a vast cannabis farm hidden beneath his family's cash-strapped country estate. asserted

After Eddie fails in his attempts to extricate himself from the illegal business, he is forced to plunge headfirst into the dangerous world of organised crime... only to realise he is rather good at it. asserted

But elements of it are closer to reality than you might imagine. uncertain

Real-life drug production facilities have been uncovered at several stately homes across the country, from a £2.2million Georgian mansion to a 102-room Welsh pile that once hosted King Charles. asserted

One cannabis operation, at a Grade II-listed country house in Cumbria, was valued at £5.2million – around £200,000 more than the annual sum the operators of the fictional farm at Halstead paid their aristocratic landlord. asserted

These shocking discoveries speak to the financial pressures facing Britain's country houses, many of which struggle to balance eye-watering upkeep costs with dwindling traditional sources of income. asserted

After all, these sprawling estates are notoriously expensive to run, with annual maintenance and staffing bills potentially topping £1million – and that's before factoring in major restoration work such as replacing a roof. asserted

Moulton Grange in Northamptonshire was raided on May 28 as part of an ongoing investigation into unlicensed medicines Another stately home, Plas Glynllifon near Caernarfon in North Wales, was targeted by police searching for drugs a month earlier The Flass in Cumbria was also found to be housing a cannabis growing operation. uncertain

It is pictured in 2004 before this was discovered The Gentlemen sees the new Duke of Halstead Edward 'Eddie' Horniman, played by Theo James, unwittingly inherit a vast underground cannabis farm Let's start at Moulton Grange, a sprawling manor house in Northamptonshire which hosts luxury weddings and corporate events. asserted

Boasting 28 acres of landscaped grounds, it has been praised by guests as 'the perfect venue' and 'simply magical', while one happy couple said it 'exceeded all our expectations'. But it appears to have been hiding a darker secret, with investigators seizing more than 12,000 doses of illegal weight-loss injections from a suspected black-market drugs factory operating inside the house. asserted

During a raid on May 28, officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) arrested two 29-year-old men, who were later released. uncertain

The MHRA claimed Moulton Grange was being used as a 'large-scale facility to manufacture, assemble and distribute unlicensed weight-loss medicines, including retatrutide and tirzepatide, as well as peptide products'. asserted

Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Mounjaro, while retatrutide is an experimental treatment still undergoing clinical trials. asserted

The MHRA described the raid as the UK's largest seizure of unlicensed weight-loss injections and said it was targeting an 'organised criminal group'. asserted

The property is owned by Faiz Hameed, 61, and Rashda Hameed, 59, who are also directors of Moulton Grange Limited, a property management company. asserted

It is unclear whether they live at the estate and they made no comment in July when news of the seizure was made public. uncertain

Moulton Grange is considered an 'outstanding' example of an English country house, featuring a grand Georgian façade and a sumptuous interior complete with chandeliers, period furnishings and ornate carved fireplaces. asserted

An aerial view of Moulton Grange, where around 12,000 doses of suspected weight-loss drugs were seized Boasting 28 acres of landscaped private grounds, Moulton Grange hosts luxury weddings and corporate events asserted

Pictures from the raid on Moulton Grange showed dozens of cardboard boxes and containers full of jabs scattered across cluttered rooms The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) discovered an astonishing 12,000 doses of unlicensed weight loss medicines Constructed mainly in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the stately pile is Grade II-listed and was last sold for £2.2million in 2017, according to Land Registry records. uncertain

Another stately home, Plas Glynllifon near Caernarfon in North Wales, was raided by police searching for drugs a month earlier in April. asserted

The historic mansion, once owned by Lord Newborough and host to King Charles's investiture ball when he was Prince of Wales, was found to contain a major cannabis-growing operation. asserted

Officers uncovered cannabis plants across 12 rooms on the top floor of the building, North Wales Police said. asserted

The empty mansion, which hosted the investiture ball following Charles's ceremony at Caernarfon Castle in 1969, was put on the market for £2million in 2024 but is understood to have since been withdrawn from sale. asserted

Superintendent Arwel Hughes said: 'We uncovered a grow, which was on the top floor of the building. ' asserted

We estimate around 12 rooms with grows in them and they were fairly mature plants.' asserted

Built in 1836, the manor house previously operated as a wedding venue and was later bought with plans to transform it into a luxury hotel. asserted

It was sold in 2020 after entering receivership following a failed attempt to turn it into a high-end hotel. asserted

The mansion was then bought by a Manchester-based developer before being put back on the market in 2024 for £2million. asserted

It appears to no longer be for sale. asserted

The Flass in Cumbria was left derelict after falling into the hands of a new owner who acquired it as part of a divorce settlement David Lawrence and Dean Cameron, two of the crooks who grew cannabis at the property When police raided the house in the quiet village of Maulds Meaburn, they discovered ducting, cabling and other equipment believed to have been used to cultivate more than 260kg of cannabis The surrounding park remains open to visitors, with tickets costing £6 for adults and £4 for children. asserted

On Tuesday, officers said they had arrested a 70-year-old man on suspicion of allowing the property to be used for the supply of cannabis before releasing him on bail. A 38-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of supplying cannabis, was released but remains under investigation. While Plas Glynllifon limped on as a visitor attraction, 23,000-square-foot The Flass in Cumbria was left derelict after falling into the hands of a new owner who acquired it as part of a divorce settlement. Originally built by tea and opium traders Lancelot and Wilkinson Dent of Dent & Co in the mid-19th century, the mansion was rented for a bargain £5,000 a month to a London-based drugs gang, who filled its 52 rooms with a cannabis crop worth an estimated £5million. When police raided the house in the quiet village of Maulds Meaburn, they discovered ducting, cabling and other equipment believed to have been used to cultivate more than 260kg of cannabis. asserted

Gang members Dean Cameron, 53, of London, and David Lawrence, 32, of Ilford, were each jailed for eight years. asserted

Mark Gallagher, 49, of Wolverhampton, and Philip Branigan, 32, of Banstead, Surrey, were jailed for seven years, while Charles Neophytou, 47, of Banstead, was sentenced to five years and six months. asserted

The grand interior of Plas Glynllifon in North Wales, where police found a cannabis factory in April Officers uncovered cannabis plants on the top floor of the building. asserted

Pictured is another image of the building's interior The empty mansion hosted a ball held after King Charles' investiture as Prince of Wales at nearby Caernarfon Castle in 1969 (pictured is Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II at the ceremony) asserted

Each was either convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, conspiracy offences. asserted

Tim Evans, prosecuting, told the court in 2015: 'This was cannabis growing on a massive scale. asserted

This was growing in a stately home. asserted

'Flass is a beautiful house, Grade II-listed because of its historical and architectural significance. asserted