Mexican authorities seeking to speak with Canadian mining firm over kidnapped employees | CBC News

The legal professional common for the Mexican state of Sinaloa says she needs to speak with officers from a Canadian mining firm whose employees had been kidnapped by a suspected faction of the Sinaloa cartel.

Sinaloa Lawyer Common Claudia Zulema Sánchez Kondo instructed reporters Tuesday that her workplace has had no formal contact with Vancouver-based Vizsla Silver since at the least 10 of its employees had been kidnapped from a house rented by the corporate on Jan. 23 within the metropolis of Concordia.

“The corporate has not approached us. We’re within the means of requesting to speak with the director of the corporate … so we will set up the whole lot, ” stated Sánchez Kondo, in accordance to a video recording of her statements supplied by her workplace to CBC News.

Sánchez Kondo stated that the one communication with the corporate to date got here via a authorized consultant for Vizsla Silver, who knowledgeable Sinaloan authorities concerning the kidnappings over a 911 name on Jan. 23.

Sinaloan authorities are additionally seeking data from the corporate on the organizational chart and the kidnapped employees roles, stated Sánchez Kondo. 

Vizsla Silver has not supplied any lacking individuals reviews for its employees and authorities have solely obtained 5 official lacking individuals reviews, filed by households, to date, stated the legal professional common.

The corporate didn’t return repeated requests for remark despatched by CBC News over e mail and by phone.

Paused operations in April 2025

Vizsla Silver has beforehand confronted safety considerations with its silver and gold mining exploration challenge known as Panuco in Sinaloa. It paused area work on April 4, 2025, due to “safety circumstances within the space,” in accordance to an organization submitting with the U.S. Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC). 

“Sure areas of Mexico, together with the state of Sinaloa … have skilled outbreaks of localized violence, threats, thefts, kidnappings and extortion related with drug cartels and different felony organizations,” stated the SEC submitting.

The kidnapping of the employees has emerged among the many high safety priorities for state and federal authorities in Sinaloa. The state is at the moment within the grip of a bloody and protracted civil warfare throughout the Sinaloa cartel, one of the crucial highly effective drug trafficking teams on the planet, that exploded in September 2024. 

Mexican federal safety and citizen safety secretary Omar Harfuch travelled Wednesday to the northwestern Mexican state, which has a shoreline alongside the Pacific Ocean, to meet with state and navy officers. 

Harfuch has beforehand stated that authorities suspect a faction of the Sinaloa cartel, generally known as Los Chapitos, was concerned within the kidnapping. 

Two state-level lawmakers with the Residents’ Motion celebration just lately got here below gunfire whereas travelling in a automobile throughout an assault additionally linked to Los Chapitos. One of many lawmakers, Sergio Torres, is reportedly in a medically-induced coma.

Federal authorities just lately introduced they arrested one man in connection with the assault.

The Los Chapitos faction stays loyal to the sons of now-jailed Joaquín (El Chapo) Guzmán. They’re combating a faction loyal to the son of Ismael (El Mayo) Zambada García, who as soon as co-led the Sinaloa cartel with El Chapo. 

One among El Chapo’s sons betrayed Zambada García in July 2024 and handed him over to U.S. authorities, sparking an ongoing civil warfare that has left hundreds lifeless and lacking throughout the state. 

Search warrants executed

Federal authorities have despatched 1,190 troops to seek for Vizsla Silver’s employees, together with 270 particular forces operatives, who’re being supported by three helicopters and two surveillance planes. The operation is scouring distant and mountainous areas in and round Concordia, which sits about 50 kilometres east of the vacationer coastal metropolis of Mazatlán.

The employees had been taken from a house rented by the corporate in Concordia, stated Sánchez Kondo. 

Harfuch’s workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark seeking updates on the federal operation.

Authorities have to date executed 5 separate search warrants as a part of the investigation, together with 4 in Concordia and one in Mazatlán, she stated. Authorities have seized three cellphones, a laptop computer and identification playing cards belonging to the employees. 

Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha stated Wednesday that there have been some arrests probably related with the continuing seek for the lacking mining employees, in accordance to native reviews. 

International Affairs Canada has beforehand acknowledged that there are not any Canadians believed to be among the many kidnapped. 

The Canadian authorities is making ready for a serious commerce mission to Mexico starting on Feb. 15.