Mexico is grappling with a methamphetamine crisis so severe that families are turning to underground rehabilitation centers that forcibly admit patients against their will. In the state of Guanajuato, which has become a cartel battleground, at least 520 informal rehab facilities called "anexos" operate without government oversight, serving as the only treatment option for many struggling with addiction. These centers, which have grown from housing 10 to 15 people to holding up to 100 residents, exist in a legal gray zone where forced admissions, harsh discipline, and cartel infiltration are common risks.

Why Is Guanajuato's Addiction Crisis So Severe?

Guanajuato's transformation into Mexico's deadliest state is directly tied to the methamphetamine epidemic. The state was once considered one of Mexico's most prosperous and peaceful regions until 2015, when the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) moved in to fight for control of drug trafficking routes and fuel theft networks. To fund their territorial war, the cartels deliberately flooded working-class neighborhoods and factories with cheap methamphetamine.

The results have been catastrophic. Annual homicides in Guanajuato jumped from 957 in 2015 to 2,539 in 2025, and nearly 5,700 people are currently reported missing in the state, with approximately 870 disappearing in the past year alone. The drug has become so embedded in daily life that factory workers buy methamphetamine from their coworkers to cope with grueling night shifts, then begin dealing to fund their own habits.

How Do Anexos Operate, and Why Are Families Turning to Them?

Anexos function as informal, unregulated residential treatment centers that have proliferated because Mexico has almost no public drug rehabilitation infrastructure. Roughly 3,000 anexos now operate across Mexico, though the exact number is unknown due to the lack of a formal registration system. These facilities are often staffed by people in recovery themselves, including directors like Nicolás Pérez, who runs La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family) in Silao and is himself recovering from alcoholism.

Many patients arrive at anexos through forced admission. Families desperate to help loved ones struggling with severe methamphetamine-induced paranoia, hallucinations, sleep deprivation, and psychosis turn to these centers as a last resort. In some cases, staff members actively search streets and abandoned buildings to forcibly bring people to treatment, sometimes calling 911 to report the person's location so the action cannot be classified as kidnapping.

The harsh reality is that methamphetamine is notoriously one of the hardest drugs to quit. Without formal statistics on success rates, directors like Pérez operate on what he calls "trial and error," hoping that even if residents relapse after leaving, the center has "extended his life a little" and given him "a chance he'll be rehabilitated".

What Are the Major Problems With Unregulated Rehab Centers?

Anexos are widely criticized for dangerous conditions and practices that put vulnerable people at risk. Common issues include:

• Lack of Professional Staff: Most workers are in recovery themselves with no formal training in addiction medicine or mental health treatment.
• Cartel Infiltration: Criminal organizations have targeted anexos as recruiting grounds for new drug users and cartel foot soldiers, turning treatment centers into criminal pipelines.
• Poor Living Conditions: Facilities often suffer from inadequate food, poor hygiene, overcrowding, and infrastructure deficiencies that endanger residents.
• Abusive Practices: Harsh or even abusive treatment methods are common, with little oversight to prevent mistreatment of interned patients.
• Excessive Fees: Families are often charged high fees for treatment at centers with minimal accountability for outcomes.

Despite these dangers, authorities have struggled to shut down anexos because they are often the only treatment available to people with severe addictions. Guanajuato's government has attempted to close some facilities, but doing so leaves patients with nowhere to go.

Could Regulation Transform These Centers Into Lifesaving Resources?

Some officials now see regulation as a path forward rather than outright closure. Alejandro Arias, a state legislator in Guanajuato, is pushing for a law that would bring anexos under the supervision of the state's Secretariat for Health. The goal would be to improve infrastructure, ensure adequate food and professional staffing, prevent overcrowding, and eliminate mistreatment while maintaining access to treatment.

"The goal would be to put a stop to organized crime, which has targeted our addicted youth as easy prey, offering them as cannon fodder in their criminal activities," stated Alejandro Arias, a state legislator.

Alejandro Arias, State Legislator, Guanajuato

Arias believes that stronger state oversight could also help centers defend against gang infiltration and recruitment. By bringing these facilities into the formal healthcare system, officials hope to preserve the treatment access that anexos provide while eliminating the conditions that make them dangerous and exploitative.

The challenge is enormous. With roughly 3,000 anexos operating across Mexico and no formal registration system, creating a regulatory framework would require significant government resources and political will. Yet without intervention, the current system leaves thousands of people with addiction struggling in facilities that may harm them as much as help them.