Recovering Drug Addicts Being Targeted in Mexico Killings
In Juarez, Mexico’s most violent city, more and more recovering drug addicts are being killed, and no one knows why. In June, a group of gunmen opened fire at the Life Without Addictions drug rehabilitation center and five addicts were killed. The center has been closed for good.
Last August, eight men were killed and five were wounded as they gathered for prayer at a treatment facility in Juarez, and another man was recently executed at a third treatment center. According to tallies kept by the news media, about 700 people have been killed in Juarez this year, including the addicts.
According to an article in the Star Tribune, one reason for the mystery is that few homicides are ever solved in Juarez. Addicts, counselors, and police say that they suspect patients may owe money to dealers, work for competing gangs, or have stolen drugs they were hired to transport into El Paso.
"Many people sell drugs during the day and sleep at the centers during the night. That's the problem. Their troubles come home with them," said Victor Silerio, a former heroin addict who now runs the Cre Cavi treatment center, one of the few that do not let patients freely come and go.
Sergio Belmonte Almeida, a municipal government spokesman said that many more addicts are shot on the streets and that the crimes are rarely solved. He also said the military tells him that the deaths are the result of disputes over drug sales.
For many years, drugs were produced and/or trafficked in Mexico. Now that it is becoming a consuming nation, government officials are cracking down. This year, President Felipe Calderon sent 10,000 soldiers and federal agents to occupy Juarez and take over the police force. During this time, there were days when no one was killed, but now about a dozen people are found dead every day.
Silerio said that at least seven drug treatment centers have closed after receiving threats or warnings from local drug gangs, leaving 25 facilities open. "Thank God for this place and these people who are here to help," said Miguel Rocha Romero, 29, who entered Silerio's residence program three months ago. Rocha said he was a heroin addict for nine years while he was in prison.
