SinaloaCartel – Mountain Mine Abductions Shake Security Narrative
SinaloaCartel – High in the rugged mountains overlooking the Pacific resort city of Mazatlan, silence has settled over once-active rural communities. Along a winding highway that cuts through the hills, shuttered homes and empty storefronts outnumber passing vehicles. The stillness was shattered in late January when 10 workers from a Canadian-owned silver and gold mine were abducted near the small town of Panuco. Authorities later discovered the bodies of five of them in clandestine graves. The remaining five victims are still undergoing identification.
Fear Empties Mountain Villages
Residents say daily life has nearly collapsed. Fermín Labrador, 68, who lives in the nearby village of Chirimoyos, described how entire families have left after months of violence linked to infighting within the Sinaloa Cartel. Since September 2024, rival factions of the criminal organization have fought for control of territory, forcing civilians to choose sides or flee. Some departures, Labrador noted, were less voluntary than they appeared.
The latest abductions have intensified anxiety in the region and renewed scrutiny of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s security strategy. After taking office in late 2024, Sheinbaum pledged a firmer stance against organized crime, increasing arrests and drug seizures in Sinaloa. She also deployed 10,000 National Guard members to Mexico’s northern border amid pressure from the United States over fentanyl trafficking. In January, she cited a drop in national homicide rates as evidence that her approach was producing results.
Security analyst David Saucedo argues that incidents like the mine workers’ killings undermine official claims of progress. According to Saucedo, the federal government has sought to contain the cartel’s internal conflict rather than confront it head-on, even as violence spreads and communities become entangled in factional disputes.
Military Response Brings Limited Relief
Following the disappearance of the miners, federal forces expanded operations in the mountains. Soldiers conducted aerial and ground searches, eventually locating several clandestine burial sites. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch traveled to coordinate the effort. Authorities announced multiple arrests and said information obtained from suspects led them to the graves.
Despite the show of force, residents remain uneasy. Roque Vargas, a human rights advocate who works with families displaced by violence, said criminal groups have temporarily withdrawn from visible areas but could reappear. He also expressed concern that civilians risk being mistaken for suspects during security patrols, a problem reported elsewhere in the state.
“We feel largely abandoned,” Vargas said, describing the uncertainty that shadows daily life.
Cartel Rivalry Fuels Statewide Turmoil
The violence stems from a power struggle that intensified after Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a longtime Sinaloa Cartel leader, was detained and transferred to U.S. authorities. His faction began battling another led by sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, fracturing the organization. The conflict first erupted in Culiacan but gradually extended across the state.
Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, adding diplomatic pressure on Mexico’s government. By April, Vancouver-based Vizsla Silver Corp., which owns the mine where the abducted workers were employed, suspended operations for a month, citing security concerns.
Mexican authorities have said suspects detained in the January case were affiliated with the faction known as “Los Chapitos,” loyal to Guzmán’s sons. Officials indicated the workers may have been targeted due to mistaken identity, though questions remain about how such confusion occurred if the employees were taken directly from the mine site.
Mining Industry Under Threat
Mining operations in Mexico have long been vulnerable to criminal groups seeking extortion payments or access to valuable materials. Saucedo, who has studied organized crime activity in several mining states, noted that businesses sometimes find themselves navigating complex relationships with armed groups operating nearby.
The federal government has stated it has no evidence that Vizsla was subjected to extortion. President Sheinbaum has pledged to engage with mining companies nationwide to address security concerns. Vizsla has said publicly that its priority is supporting affected families and assisting authorities in the investigation.
Families Continue the Search
In El Verde, a community near where graves were uncovered, search collectives gathered alongside law enforcement as forensic teams worked. Marisela Carrizales stood beside banners bearing photographs of missing loved ones. She has searched for her son, Alejandro, for more than five years and joined others to monitor the investigation.
Authorities confirmed that 10 bodies were recovered from one burial site, five identified as the missing miners. Additional remains were discovered in four other locations around the community, according to state prosecutors.
Disappearances continue to affect Mazatlan and surrounding areas. Several tourists and local residents have been reported missing in recent months, with only some later found alive. While security has increased in Mazatlan ahead of public events, mountain villages still face disrupted services. Teachers and medical workers hesitate to travel there, and public transportation remains unreliable after a local transit operator vanished late last year.
For many residents, routine tasks now require calculated risks. Labrador said he sometimes borrows a motorcycle to reach his job at a highway toll booth. When that option falls through, he walks miles through isolated terrain — a reminder of how insecurity has reshaped everyday life in Sinaloa’s highlands.