The attorney general of the Mexican state of Sinaloa expressed her intention to engage with officials from a Canadian mining company whose staff members were abducted by a suspected faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Claudia Zulema Sánchez Kondo, the Sinaloa Attorney General, stated on Tuesday that her office had not been formally contacted by Vancouver-based Vizsla Silver since at least 10 employees were taken from a residence rented by the company on January 23 in Concordia.
Sánchez Kondo mentioned that the sole interaction with the company had been through a legal representative of Vizsla Silver, who reported the abductions to Sinaloan authorities via a 911 call on January 23. She added that her office is seeking details from the company regarding the organizational structure and the roles of the abducted employees.
Vizsla Silver has not submitted any reports of missing persons for its workers, with only five official reports from families received by the authorities. Despite repeated attempts by CBC News via email and phone, the company did not respond to requests for comments.
The Panuco mining project of Vizsla Silver in Sinaloa faced security issues, leading to the suspension of field activities on April 4, 2025, due to security concerns in the region, as disclosed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.
The abduction of the employees has become a top security concern for state and federal authorities in Sinaloa amid an internal conflict within the Sinaloa cartel. Mexican federal security and citizen protection secretary Omar Harfuch traveled to Sinaloa to meet with state and military officials. Authorities suspect the involvement of a faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as Los Chapitos in the kidnapping.
Federal authorities have deployed troops, including special forces operatives and air support, to search for Vizsla Silver’s employees abducted in Concordia. Several search warrants have been executed, resulting in the seizure of electronic devices and identification cards belonging to the missing employees. Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha indicated that there have been potential arrests related to the ongoing search efforts.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed that there are no Canadian nationals believed to be among the kidnapped individuals. The Canadian government is gearing up for a significant trade mission to Mexico starting on February 15.