Companions of the 10 miners kidnapped in Concordia, Sinaloa, contradict the federal government's claim that they were mistaken for organized crime members. They state that the armed group took them from their homes after prior threats to abandon the mine. Authorities found five bodies in a clandestine grave.
On January 23, 2026, an armed group deprived 10 miners from the Canadian company Vizsla Silver Corp. of their liberty in a subdivision in La Clementina, Concordia, Sinaloa, where the firm rented housing for its staff. The workers had finished their shift and were resting in the camp.
Companions and family members reject the federal government's official version, which suggests that 'Los Chapitos' members mistook them for 'Los Mayos' affiliates. Testimonies indicate that organized crime threatened the miners more than a year earlier to stop mine operations, not for extortion but to fully abandon the area. They reported these threats to superiors at Vizsla Silver, but the company 'ignored' them, according to journalist Juan Carlos Zúñiga in a radio interview.
"More than a year ago they received threats from organized crime and this was reported to their superiors at the Canadian company Vizsla (Silver), which ignored it. They even asked the miners to change their vests from orange to yellow to identify them while working in the field," Zúñiga recounted.
Nine months before the kidnapping, on April 4, 2025, Vizsla Silver paused field activities in the Pánuco project near Concordia due to insecurity conditions in an area of criminal group disputes. "Vizsla announces that, out of caution, it has temporarily paused field work on the Pánuco project due to current insecurity conditions in the area," the company stated then. They resumed operations on May 5, 2025, once conditions stabilized, per Michael Konnert, president and CEO.
Companions say they feel intimidated by the company, which asked them not to testify about the threats or kidnapping. The Claudia Sheinbaum government remains silent; four people were detained who claimed confusion, without disclosing identities. On February 3, 2026, in El Verde, Concordia, the General Prosecutor's Office found a grave with five bodies identified as miners; results are pending for the rest.
