The attorney general representing the Mexican state of Sinaloa has expressed her intent to engage with officials from a Canadian mining company whose workers were abducted by a suspected faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Claudia Zulema Sánchez Kondo, the Attorney General of Sinaloa, informed the media on Tuesday that her office has not had any direct communication with Vancouver-based Vizsla Silver since approximately 10 of its employees were kidnapped from a residence rented by the company in Concordia on January 23.
Sánchez Kondo mentioned that there has been no outreach from Vizsla Silver and stated the office’s efforts to arrange a discussion with the company director. The sole interaction with the company was initiated through a legal representative for Vizsla Silver, who reported the abductions to Sinaloan authorities via a 911 call on the same day.
Furthermore, Sinaloan authorities are keen on obtaining details from the company regarding the organizational structure and the roles of the abducted employees, as per Sánchez Kondo. Despite this, Vizsla Silver has not submitted any missing persons reports for its employees, with only five reports filed by families reaching the authorities thus far.
In a development, Vizsla Silver had previously suspended operations at its Panuco mining project headquarters in Sinaloa in April 2025 due to security concerns in the area, as disclosed in a submission to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC filing highlighted security challenges in certain regions of Mexico, particularly in Sinaloa, related to criminal activities such as violence, thefts, and kidnappings associated with drug cartels and other criminal groups.
The abduction of the company’s employees has now become a significant security issue for both state and federal authorities in Sinaloa. The region is currently embroiled in a violent internal conflict within the Sinaloa cartel, a prominent drug trafficking organization that escalated in September 2024.
Mexican federal authorities, led by Omar Harfuch, have been actively involved in the case, suspecting the involvement of a faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as Los Chapitos in the kidnapping incident. Recent incidents, including an attack on Citizens’ Movement party lawmakers linked to Los Chapitos, have heightened tensions in the region.
The federal government has deployed over a thousand troops, including specialized forces and aerial support, to locate the missing Vizsla Silver employees. Multiple search warrants have been issued, leading to the recovery of personal belongings like cellphones, a laptop, and identification cards belonging to the abducted individuals.
Despite the ongoing efforts, Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that there are no indications of any Canadian nationals among the kidnapped individuals. Meanwhile, the Canadian government is gearing up for a significant trade mission to Mexico scheduled to commence on February 15.
