11 detained in Sinaloa mining kidnapping case
El Diario de Chihuahua reports that state and federal authorities detained 11 alleged Los Chapitos members in Escuinapa, Sinaloa, in a case involving the reported kidnapping of 10 Vizsla Silver workers. Officials said the operation yielded 12 long guns, ammunition, magazines and tactical equipment, while the detainees were placed at the disposal of Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office.
State and federal authorities detained 11 people in Escuinapa, Sinaloa, on Friday in a case involving the reported kidnapping of 10 workers from Canadian mining company Vizsla Silver in January. El Diario de Chihuahua reported that the detainees were described as members of Los Chapitos, a faction identified in the Defense Ministry statement as part of the Cártel del Pacífico. The report said the arrests bring to 18 the number of people detained for their possible participation in the case.
According to the Defense Ministry, authorities made the arrests during ground reconnaissance and surveillance patrols in La Isla del Bosque. El Diario de Chihuahua reported that officials said the 11 people were caught in flagrante and linked the detainees to Óscar Luciano “El Casco” Martínez Larios, whom authorities identified as a regional leader of Los Chapitos. The account said the operation resulted in the seizure of 12 long guns, magazines, ammunition of various calibers and tactical equipment.
The detainees and the seized items were placed at the disposal of Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office in Culiacán for further investigation, according to the report. El Diario de Chihuahua said authorities had located the bodies of nine of the 10 Vizsla Silver workers by April, most in a clandestine grave in the community of El Verde. The article also noted reported arrests in February and July, along with the detention of Ángel Gabriel “N,” known as “El Tronco,” and Milton Yair “N,” who were described as members of Los Menores and linked to the case.