6 people shot dead at drug rehab center in Mexico

Six people were shot dead at a drug rehabilitation center near the western Mexican city of Guadalajara, authorities said Monday.

Five men and one woman were killed in the late Sunday attack in the suburb of San Pedro Tlaquepaque, the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office said.

The woman was between 18 and 23 years old, three of the men were in their 20s and two of the men appeared to be in their late 50s, the office said.

The office said that several people were involved in the attack, but did not offer information on a motive.

The region is one of the most violent in Mexico due to turf wars between rival gangs including the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, whose leader, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, is one of the United States’ most-wanted fugitives, with a $10 million bounty on his head. 

Drug gangs in Mexico have attacked rehab centers in the past, usually to kill drug users or dealers allied with rival gangs.

In July 2020, heavily armed men stormed a drug rehabilitation center in the central city of Irapuato and killed 27 people.

Mexico has long had problems with rehab centers because most are privately run, underfunded and often commit abuses against recovering addicts. The government spends relatively little money on rehabilitation, often making the unregistered centers the only option available for poor families.

In addition, addicts and dealers who face attacks from rivals on the streets sometimes take refuge at the rehab clinics, making the clinics themselves targets for attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.