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of Attorney General She said she wants to talk to officials of a Canadian mining company whose workers in Mexico’s Sinaloa state were kidnapped by a group suspected of being part of the Sinaloa cartel.
Sinaloa Attorney General Claudia Zulema Sánchez Condo told reporters Tuesday that her office had no formal contact with Vizsla Silver in Vancouver after at least 10 of her employees were taken hostage from a house rented by the company on Jan. 23. Concordia
“We have not been approached by the company. We are asking to speak with the director of the company … so we can establish everything,” said Sanchez Condo, whose statements to CBC News were videotaped at her office.
Sanchez Condo said the only contact he has had with the company to date has come through Vizsla Silver’s legal representative, who notified Sinaloan officials of the hack on Jan. 23 in a 911 call.
Sinaloan authorities are looking for information on the organizational chart and from the company The roles of the abducted workersSanchez Condo said.
Vizsla Silver has not filed any missing persons reports with its employees and authorities have received only five official missing persons reports, filed by families, so far, the attorney general said.
The company did not return repeated requests for comment by email and phone from CBC News.
Jobs in April 2025 have stopped
Vizsla Silver has faced security threats at its Panuco silver and gold exploration project in Sinaloa. According to the company’s filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it ceased field operations on April 4, 2025, due to the “environmental security situation.”
“Certain areas of Mexico’s Sinaloa state … have experienced local violence, threats, theft, kidnapping and extortion related to drug cartels and other criminal organizations,” the SEC filing said.
The kidnapping of the workers has been seen as one of the top security priorities for state and federal authorities in Sinaloa. The state is currently in A bloody and protracted civil war ensued Exploded in September 2024 in the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world.
Secretary of Federal Security and Civil Protection of Mexico Omar Harfouch traveled to the northwestern Mexican state on the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday to meet with state and military officials.
Harfuch said earlier that authorities suspect the factions known as the Sinaloa Cartel Los Chapitos, He was involved in the kidnapping.
Two state level legislators from Citizens’ movement The party was recently hit by gunfire while traveling in a vehicle during an attack linked to Los Chapitos. One of the lawmakers, Sergio Torres, is said to be undergoing treatment.– Coma-causing.
Federal authorities recently announced the arrest of an individual in connection with the attack.
The group of Los Chapitos remains loyal to the children of the now imprisoned Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman. They are fighting a group loyal to Ismael’s son (El Mayo) Zambada Garcia, who once co-led the Sinaloa cartel with El Chapo.
One of El Chapo’s sons betrayed Zambada Garcia and handed him over to US authorities in July 2024, sparking an ongoing civil war that has left thousands dead and missing across the state.
Search warrants have been executed
Federal authorities have sent 1,190 troops to search for the crew of the Vizsla Silver, including 270 special forces operators supported by three helicopters and two surveillance planes. The operation is targeting remote and mountainous areas in and around Concordia, 50 kilometers east of the touristy beach town of Mazatlán.
The workers were taken from a house the company leased in Concordia, Sanchez Condo said.
Harfuch’s office did not respond to a request for an update on the federal operation.
According to the investigation, authorities have executed five separate search warrants so far, including four in Concordia and one in Mazatlán. Officials seized three mobile phones, a laptop and identity cards belonging to the employees.
Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha said on Wednesday that it was understood from local reports that there had been some arrests related to the search for the missing miners.
Global Affairs Canada previously announced that none of the abductees were Canadians.
The Canadian government is gearing up for a major trade mission to Mexico starting February 15.