OVER THE BORDER –
June 11, 2025 – One of the less publicized effects of the drug cartel issue in Tijuana is the lack of governmental infrastructure for rehab projects. This environment encourages businesses that take advantage of relatives who are desperate for their loved ones to recover.
These businesses use mainly a religious perspective in their rehab methods, but the government has no way to ensure effectiveness or account for human and civil rights. Especially on the city outskirts, where these rehab centers have won popularity because of viral social media videos that show how they “sponsor free treatment” to hard drug users.
31-year-old Moises Valdez Castro’s father signed up for one of these rehab centers, located around 20 miles east of the city`s downtown. “Later on, we got to know what kind of so-called treatment inmates were given by this rehab center.” Valdez stated. “The addicts were basically imprisoned all together, whether or not they had mental issues besides their addictions. He [Valdez’s father] wasn`t able to sleep at night because of the fear of being hurt while being there. He told us he and the new inmates had to sleep on the floor for the 40 days he was there; that`s actually why we took him out; he ended up with an ear infection that had reached his eyes”.
