CELAYA — Mexican rehab centers meant to help addicts escape drugs are becoming targets of cartel violence, especially in Guanajuato, the country’s most violent state. Criminal gangs pursue addicts over debts, suspect them of rival ties, or attack rehab staff — with deadly incidents claiming dozens of lives in recent years.

Rehab leader Nicolas Perez, himself a former addict, says he’s received threats demanding he surrender patients, but instead helps families relocate them. Violence persists as rival cartels like Jalisco New Generation and Santa Rosa de Lima battle over drug routes and markets.

Despite risks, volunteers and former addicts like Azucena and Javier Torres continue helping others recover, calling their work a source of hope and redemption. Meth use is surging, and the number of rehab centers has doubled since 2016, but only about 20% of patients manage to overcome addiction amid the escalating cartel war.