Children in Tecate Exposed to Fentanyl and Organized Crime

Lethal substances such as fentanyl—mixed with marijuana or delivered via “wax pens” (cannabis extract)—are already circulating among children and young people in the municipality of Tecate. The danger lies in the deception: minors receive doses believing they are consuming cocaine or generic painkillers, triggering immediate addiction after the first few uses. This leads not only to desperation when the drugs are unavailable but also to extreme behaviors exploited by cartels; in exchange for doses, these groups recruit youths into the ranks of their armed wings or deploy them as lookouts (*halcones*) in neighborhoods, ordering them to beat, threaten, torture, or even murder others.

According to monitoring by the Baja California Health Secretariat and the State Institute of Psychiatry (IPEBC), the state consistently ranks among the highest in the nation for illicit substance use. Doctors, civil society organizations, and rehabilitation center coordinators in Tecate confirm this trend, noting that narcotic use and overdose cases have now reached children as young as 9 and 10.

Recent data published by the Mexican Observatory on Mental Health and Addictions—gathered from individuals seeking substance abuse treatment in Baja California—indicate that the primary substances prompting requests for care in 2025 were methamphetamine, alcohol, marijuana, and opioids. Furthermore, the drugs that initiated the cycle of use were alcohol, marijuana, and methamphetamines.

In Tecate, children and young people have become a recent target for cartels. One such case is 11-year-old Alberto, who recently dropped out of school and was not even registered for secondary education; his situation was reported by his grandmother, who is trying to remain active in the workforce to provide better opportunities for her grandchildren. The oldest of her grandchildren is Alberto; his mother has been in and out of rehab clinics since she was 15 due to her addictions—she has tried marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and now fentanyl.

They have heard nothing from the father of Alberto and his nine-year-old brother since 2020. “I think he got mad because we asked him for money for school,” reasons Alberto, who has two other younger siblings—aged four and two—whose father is also a mystery; he only remembers that the man “was into bad stuff.” In fact, the last time he saw him, the man was living down by the river earlier in the year; “maybe he even got caught in the sweep,” he says, alluding to the multiple homicides recorded in that area.

At 11 years old, Alberto says he has already tried marijuana: “A friend of my mom’s told me, ‘Come on, be a little man,’ so… I took a hit.” His mother found it amusing; after that, he started hanging out with them more and getting to know his mother’s friends, who drank alcohol and used heroin. They all egged him on, promising that later on—if he learned to stay sharp and street-smart—he could even become the boss of their neighborhood. “They killed a guy around here a while back; he was a friend of my mom’s, but he didn’t stay sharp. I do,” says Alberto, before getting scolded by his grandmother and sent off to the store.

His mother is missing, but she hasn’t been reported to the police because “she usually turns up again like nothing happened,” says the grandmother; in the meantime, he and his siblings are being looked after by her and an aunt.

FROM ABANDONMENT AND ADDICTION TO CONTRACT KILLING

Addiction—among both adults and minors—serves as an entry point for organized crime to infiltrate their lives and secure a supply of disposable labor. Criminal cells linked to both the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Tecate exploit adolescents’ withdrawal symptoms to coerce them into criminal activities. Initially, they are used as lookouts (*halcones*) or street-level dealers in exchange for daily doses of drugs or, in some instances, cash.

“They come along and brainwash them with ideas that make them feel like part of a family. It’s as if they have a radar for spotting the most vulnerable: they promise protection, give them money, look after them, and steer them onto a path of no return,” says a teacher from the middle school attended three years ago by one of the youths murdered this year. That young man—only 16 years old—was reported missing in April 2026 alongside two friends; all three were found dead in a clandestine grave nearly six weeks later. One of them belonged to a group the teachers had identified as those “unlikely to end up well.”

“We wish we were wrong. We pray that’s the case every time we see them being recruited; we fight to get them back on the right track, but it’s a battle that cannot be won without the family,” the teacher noted.

Drug use among children under the age of 12 is currently being identified in clinics and rehabilitation centers; this is according to Gerardo Apolinar Quezada, legal representative of the Recovery and Rehabilitation Center for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction (Centro de Recuperación y Rehabilitación para Enfermos de Alcoholismo y Drogadicción, A.C.). (CRREAD Cuchumá) in Tecate and Tijuana: “The cases are increasing, and the individuals involved are younger. For years, I have been telling the authorities that unless there are prevention programs focused on emerging forms of addiction, this same pattern will keep repeating itself; the number of users keeps rising, while there are fewer institutions meeting the standards required to treat them. The issue of fentanyl has escalated—at the start of the year, we saw a large number of users with this addiction—while methamphetamine and crystal meth remain prevalent in Tecate and throughout the state.”

In Tecate, the crisis affecting minors is not limited to arrests; violence directly impacts them through homicides, torture, and forced disappearances in trouble spots such as Nueva Colonia Hindú. Records from the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) and the Baja California Secretariat of Citizen Security indicate that the arrest of adolescents in this municipality and the surrounding border areas is directly linked to drug-related offenses (possession of narcotics for mass distribution), illegal possession of firearms (specifically those restricted to the Army and federal forces), criminal conspiracy, and violent robbery—all carried out under the orders of criminal leaders.

Furthermore, recent investigations warn of the use of social media and video games with open chat features (such as Free Fire or Roblox) to lure and recruit minors in the region, facilitating their abduction and subsequent criminal training.

The family patterns observed in Tecate’s high-incidence areas—such as La Invasión, Emiliano Zapata, “Coyotera,” Santa Anita, El Rincón, and the Hacienda “San Pablo” subdivision—reveal a deeply fractured family structure. Local researchers and social welfare agencies link this consumption to environments characterized by severe domestic violence, parental neglect, and households where primary caregivers suffer from severe addictions or are involved in the retail drug trade.

Forensic specialists and addiction experts estimate that the short- and medium-term neurobiological consequences for these children will be irreversible. Exposure to potent opioids prior to the completion of central nervous system development is expected to result in the rapid deterioration of cognitive function, permanent anxiety disorders and psychosis, irreversible respiratory system damage, and a high probability of death from fatal overdose before reaching the age of majority.

REHABILITATION CLINICS: LACKING OVERSIGHT AND LEGITIMACY

In the absence of specialized government infrastructure to treat childhood addiction, so-called rehabilitation centers—or *anexos*—operate in the gap; however, it is well known that many of them lack scientific and legal legitimacy.

“It is regrettable that, at this stage, there are institutions that exploit the intentions of families seeking to help a relative with an addiction. We have advocated for the consolidation of the State Addiction Council; such a body should exist in every municipality. We continue to push for checks to ensure every treatment center complies with the law and regulations. Treating these individuals is a serious matter; some arrive with severe mental and emotional issues. Clandestine centers or clinics—whose primary goal is profit—keep popping up.”

In Tecate, only five rehabilitation centers comply with regulations, while nearly twice that number operate illegally. Therefore, it is crucial for family members to know about and verify how these centers operate; this can mean the difference between life and death for a patient, stated Apolinar Quezada:

“I urge people to ask for references regarding treatment centers—do your research, call, and visit them. If a center won’t let you see the facilities, something is likely wrong. If they open their doors, let you in, and present the program your relative will follow, that can help build confidence—though, ultimately, it is the state, through the Institute of Psychiatry, that determines which centers are qualified to operate.”

Authorities from the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSCBC) and health sector personnel have conducted joint inspections of dozens of these centers in Tecate’s urban area and in rural communities such as El Hongo. The findings consistently point to the following:

Overcrowding and Unsanitary Conditions: Facilities operate under precarious conditions that systematically violate the human rights of those held there.

Lack of Medical Certification: They lack psychologists, psychiatrists, or qualified technical staff to administer detoxification treatments for fentanyl or methamphetamine.

Havens for Criminal Activity: Inspections have revealed that these facilities frequently operate outside the law, serving as hideouts for individuals with outstanding arrest warrants for serious crimes or becoming the scene of violent clashes between their own administrators.

The absence of a legitimate, transparent registry of rehabilitation clinics in Tecate creates an institutional void; addicted minors are stigmatized by their environment, recruited by drug cartels, and—in the worst-case scenario—placed in clandestine centers where violence replaces therapeutic care. Once their “rehabilitation” ends, they quickly fall prey to addiction, illicit activities, or serious crime once again.

The municipality of Tecate has recorded the murders of more than ten minors so far in 2026; another eight were killed or went missing in 2025.

Source: Zeta Tijuana