Criminal Group Attacks Rehab Center in Central Mexico, Leaving Three Dead

Attacks by organized crime cells on rehabilitation centers have become a troubling trend in Mexico in recent months. Earlier this year, The Latin Times reported that five such centers in Culiacán, Sinaloa, were shut down after members of Los Chapitos and La Mayiza targeted them in an effort to recruit new members, offering fake job opportunities in exchange for joining their factions.

The violence has since spread to the state of Guanajuato, where on Sept. 2, Mexican authorities reported that six unidentified men stormed the Alfa Fortaleza A.C. rehabilitation center in the city of Dolores Hidalgo and killed three men described as "padrinos" — individuals who mentor and support newcomers through recovery, not as professionals, but as role models who share their own experiences to help others overcome addiction.

According to Milenio, the attack occurred around 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 2. Staff members interviewed by the outlet said the attackers subdued five workers at the rehabilitation center and killed three of them. One staff member who survived the attack said the center had been operating for three years and had never previously faced threats or violence.

"We were asleep. Sometimes we sleep downstairs. When I heard the gunshots, I thought I was next," one man told Milenio.

According to neighbors, the Alfa Fortaleza center had operated without major problems since it opened three years ago. They said they had never witnessed any violence on the premises and noted that activities at the facility were visible, including outdoor gatherings and family visits on weekends.

Following the attack, members of the National Guard, Guanajuato state and municipal police, and the Mexican army launched a security operation and took control of the area.

Nicolás Pérez Ponce, president of Centros de Rehabilitación Unidos del Bajío, called on authorities to strengthen security at rehabilitation centers and warned that past meetings with officials have failed to produce effective protection protocols. He also acknowledged that the situation has created alarm among rehab centers in the region.

"What's happening is truly unfortunate. And once again, it's because of a serious lack of security. There are no patrols, no attention given to these places," Pérez told Milenio.

The attack at the Alfa Fortaleza center is one of several that have occurred in Guanajuato so far in 2025. According to Milenio, 19 people have been killed and nine others injured this year in attacks targeting rehabilitation centers across the state.

Adding to the crisis, authorities have recently shut down and plan to demolish an abandoned military barracks in León that had been illegally occupied by criminal groups that turned it into an unlicensed rehabilitation center.

Earlier this year, in April, federal authorities reported a rise in criminal activity targeting rehabilitation centers in northern Mexico. In Culiacán,seven centers have been attacked since September 2024, with most incidents linked to forced recruitment by rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

In one case reported by The Latin Times, Los Chapitos — the faction led by the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán — attacked a rehab center in Culiacán while searching for a rival ringleader connected to the faction headed by Ismael Zambada Sicairos, son of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

The attackers killed eight people. According to one survivor, the death toll could have been even higher if the gunmen's weapons hadn't jammed. The indiscriminate assault is one of dozens since turf wars erupted between the two groups last September, following the capture of El Mayo Zambada, an arrest his faction claims was orchestrated by Los Chapitos.