Almost nine months after the January 23 kidnapping of 10 workers at the Vizsla Silver Corporation’s mine in the northwest state of Sinaloa — and the murder of at least nine of them — two suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime, both suspected members of the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday.
The operation — a coordinated effort of the Defense and Security Ministries and the Special Operations Group of the Sinaloa state Public Security Ministry — took into custody Ángel Gabriel “N (a),” known as “Tronco,” and Milton Yair “N.” The detainees were found in possession of two rifles, a 40mm grenade launcher attachment, magazines and ammunition of various calibers, as well as drugs and tactical gear.
They were turned over to the Attorney General’s Office in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, for further processing.
The two were not the first suspects detained in the case. On June 2, the federal government’s Security Cabinet announced the arrest of an alleged Sinaloa Cartel figure who is said to be linked to the crime. He has been identified in media reports as Gabriel Nicolás Martínez Larios, and also known as “Gabito.” Considered the “regional boss” of Los Chapitos, Gabito was detained in Rosario, a municipality in Sinaloa south of Mazatlán.
The tragic occurrences in La Concordia, Sinaloa, were headline news in January, and for months afterward as the fate of the abductees was slowly revealed. According to initial statements from those initially held in the case, the 10 kidnapped miners had been mistaken for members of the Los Mayos criminal group, rivals of Los Chapitos.
With reports from López-Dóriga Digital
