A mining company based in Vancouver reported that ten of its staff members were kidnapped from a project site in Concordia, located in the state of Sinaloa in western Mexico. The region has been embroiled in a violent struggle between cartels since 2024.
Vizsla Silver issued a statement on its website confirming the abduction, stating that the incident is currently being investigated with limited available information. The company has informed Mexican authorities, and its crisis management and security response teams are actively involved in the situation.
Operations at the site have been halted following the incident. Vizsla Silver is working on the development of a silver and gold mining project known as Panuco in Sinaloa.
According to local media reports, most of the abducted employees are Mexican nationals. The Sinaloan attorney general’s office has initiated an investigation into the kidnapping, responding to a report of the disappearance of the individuals on January 24 following a 911 call from a company representative.
Collaborating with federal authorities, including the military, state authorities have launched search operations. A search warrant was executed on Tuesday as part of the ongoing investigation.
Reports from Latinus indicated that armed individuals took the company employees from a rented residence in Concordia on January 23. Global Affairs Canada acknowledged the security incident in Concordia and mentioned that Canadian embassy officials in Mexico are in contact with Mexican authorities, ensuring there are no affected Canadian citizens.
The Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat of Mexico did not provide an immediate response to requests for comments. The unrest within the Sinaloa cartel, a prominent international organized crime group, has resulted in numerous deaths and disappearances in the state.
Vizsla Silver has been contacted for further details by CBC News.