The Mexican Navy dismantled 10 camps used by criminal groups during the search operation for the 10 missing miners in Concordia, Sinaloa. Navy elements carried out actions in Los Naranjos and El Verde, where they seized 1,600 cartridges, 46 magazines, four tactical vests, a ballistic helmet, and a homemade explosive device. Authorities also detailed that the camps showed signs of being used by organized crime members, so they were disabled and dismantled as part of actions to regain territorial control in the area. The explosive device found was destroyed on-site following established safety protocols, while the rest of the seized material was turned over to the competent authorities for the corresponding case files.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, authorities arrested four people linked to the kidnapping of the 10 miners from the Canadian company Vizsla Silver, which occurred on January 23. The State Public Security Secretariat specified that in a first operation, on the afternoon of February 3, two civilians were detained in the town of El Verde, Concordia. Along with them, two long-type AK-47 weapons, eight long-gun magazines, 240 cartridges, and two tactical vests were secured. In another operation, two more people were detained, who were carrying a SCAR Multi-Caliber rifle, a Glock 22 pistol, three magazines, and 55 cartridges of different calibers.
In another development, Sinaloa's prosecutor, Claudia Sánchez Kondo, told local media that the belongings of the ten miners were found after five searches in Mazatlán and Concordia. "Identification cards have been located, which is why we are certain that they are the people who are currently deprived of their liberty," stated Sánchez Kondo, who also specified that three phones and a laptop have also been secured. Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, explained that in the area where the events occurred, a cell of 'Los Chapitos,' a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, operates, and they are believed to be behind the disappearance of the workers.
Sinaloa's security forces announced the rescue of two of the six tourists who were allegedly kidnapped last Tuesday in Mazatlán. Through their social networks, the Sinaloa Public Security Secretariat reported on Thursday that they received a report last Tuesday about the alleged "illegal deprivation of liberty" of four men, one woman, and one girl. For now, agents located the woman and the girl in the town of El Habal, Mazatlán, while the four men remain missing.
These events occur in a context of growing concern about disappearances in Mexico, a phenomenon that affects at least 133,000 families in the country and has been consistently documented by search collectives, civil organizations, and international human rights bodies, particularly in regions with the presence of criminal groups. Sinaloa, one of the main mineral-producing states in the country, also faces a persistent problem of violence and insecurity linked to organized crime, which has impacted both local communities and productive sectors, including the mining industry.
