Gunmen attack rehab center in Mexico’s Sinaloa state, killing 9

At least nine people were killed and four others were wounded in a ‘cartel’ attack on a drug rehabilitation center in northwestern Mexico, according to local media.

The attack took place around 1:45 a.m. at the “Shaddai” rehabilitacion center in the city of Culiacan, in the state of Sinaloa. According to Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, gunmen forced their way into the building, asked the patients if they belonged to a criminal group, and then opened fire when no one responded. Eight people were killed at the scene, and a ninth victim died at the hospital.

Additionally on Monday, Guillermo Rodríguez Gaxiola, president of the Union of Rehab Center Networks in Sinaloa, was abducted from his home in Culiacan, according to local media Noroeste. Armed men reportedly stormed the residence shortly after the rehabilitation center attack, forcibly taking Rodríguez and stealing valuables before fleeing the scene. His whereabouts remain unknown.

The violence continued on Monday afternoon when armed groups stormed two more rehabilitation centers, freeing nearly 270 patients, Noroeste reported.

Personnel at several facilities reported being threatened by gunmen, who demanded the immediate release of all patients. At least three other clinics were similarly approached but appear to have complied without further incident. Authorities have yet to confirm if anyone was injured in these later attacks.

Law enforcement from all three levels of government responded to the incidents, deploying forces across the city.

Rehab centers, long considered vulnerable to cartel infiltration, are increasingly being targeted for forced recruitment or as part of broader campaigns of terror and control.

The violence is taking place against the backdrop of an internal war within the Cártel de Sinaloa between the Chapitos—the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán—and the La Mayiza faction, loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The conflict began after El Mayo’s arrest near El Paso, Texas on July 2024.