The families of employees from a Canadian mining company who were abducted by a suspected cartel group in the troubled state of Sinaloa, Mexico, earlier this year are planning to lodge a complaint with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) against the firm, according to their legal representative. The lawyer, Odracir Ricardo Espinoza, representing the families of the seven kidnapped workers, stated that the RCMP should investigate whether Vizsla Silver Corp.’s local management had potentially collaborated with an armed group in the area.
Vizsla Silver’s operational region is known for conflicts between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel, which is designated as a terrorist organization in Canada. Mexican authorities have attributed the abduction of the workers to one of the cartel’s factions.
Espinoza likened the situation to a puzzle missing crucial pieces, which he believes the company possesses. The abduction took place on January 23 when armed individuals raided a compound in Concordia, Sinaloa, where Vizsla Silver employees were stationed, resulting in the kidnapping of ten workers. Subsequently, the bodies of nine workers were discovered in clandestine graves near Concordia, while the whereabouts of the tenth worker, Francisco Antonio Esparza Yáñez, remain unknown.
The motive behind the kidnapping remains unclear. The families aim to file complaints with Canadian and U.S. authorities due to the lack of cooperation from Mexican officials in compelling Vizsla Silver to provide evidence related to the incident.
Vizsla Silver Corp., listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges, has been urged by the families to share critical evidence, including security camera footage, GPS data, and internal communication, with Mexican authorities. The families also seek testimony from the company’s legal representatives involved in alerting authorities about the kidnapping.
In response, Vizsla Silver mentioned that it is cooperating with Mexican authorities and has provided requested information, acknowledging the families’ need for answers and expressing sympathy for the uncertainty they are facing.
The families are also questioning the company’s security protocols and decision to continue operations in a volatile area, even after pausing work previously due to security concerns. Some family members possess recordings of gunfire incidents sent by their loved ones while working for Vizsla Silver.
The son of the missing worker, Alan Esparza, expressed frustration over the lack of assistance from Vizsla Silver in locating his father, highlighting the emotional toll and unanswered questions surrounding the disappearance. Meanwhile, arrests related to the kidnapping have been made, including that of a local cartel leader, providing some progress in the investigation.
