Despite the increase in violence in Sinaloa over the past two years, the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) registered only 10 kidnappings in 2024; 14 more cases in 2025; and just one this past January.
One of the main reasons for this low incidence is that victims of these crimes do not report them, or the authorities do not open an investigation.
For its part, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), through the 2025 National Survey of Victimization and Social Security Perception (ENVIPE), reported that in this state, the number of unreported crimes is 96.3 percent.
And the main reasons for not reporting crimes were:
-33.8 percent
consider it a waste of time
-11.7 percent
distrust the authorities
THE INFLUENCER
Nicole Pardo Molina, an influencer who goes by the name “La Nicholette,” was kidnapped in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on January 20 at 3:55 p.m.
The crime, which occurred in the Isla Musiala area, an upscale neighborhood north of Culiacán, was captured on video by the security cameras of her own vehicle, a lilac Tesla Cybertruck.
The armed men arrived with their faces covered and brandishing a long gun. They struggled with the influencer until they forced her into the back of a white vehicle.
Nicole Pardo has dual citizenship (U.S. and Mexican) and has been accused of selling merchandise associated with criminal groups such as “Los Chapitos.”
Four days later, on January 24, authorities reported that Pardo Molina had been found alive; however, they did not provide further details about her health, whether she had been released by her captors, or if anyone involved in the kidnapping had been arrested.
“I tried to grab my purse to give it to them. I thought they were going to rob me, but they wanted me, and then we left,” she recounted in a video after being released.
THE MINERS
A group of 10 miners belonging to the Canadian company Vizsla Silver were kidnapped by an armed group on January 23, around 7:30 a.m., in the municipality of Concordia, located near Mazatlán, in southern Sinaloa.
The workers, originally from various states including Oaxaca, Guerrero, Sonora, Chihuahua, and Zacatecas, were about to leave the “La Clementina” camp in the municipal seat of Concordia, heading to the Pánuco Project facilities, some 36 kilometers away.
However, an armed group intercepted them, and they have been reported missing ever since.
Location of the Pánuco Project in Sinaloa, where the Canadian company Vizsla Silver plans to begin operations at a gold and silver mine in 2027. Credit: Oscar Uscanga – National
They did not arrive as usual to carry out their work in the town of Pánuco, where Vizsla Silver is conducting preliminary activities for the installation of a silver and gold mine that is expected to begin operations in 2027.
According to official information, the missing miners were identified as:
-José Antonio Jiménez
-Francisco Jesús Aguilar
-Pablo Osorio Sánchez
-Saúl Alberto Ochoa
-Ignacio Salazar
-José Castañeda
-Antonio Esparza
-Javier Vargas
-Javier Valdez
-José Ángel Hernández
THE GRAVE
After several days of searching the area, federal and state authorities located a clandestine grave on February 3rd in the town of El Verde, less than 16 kilometers from where the miners were kidnapped.
It wasn’t until February 9th that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) confirmed that 10 bodies were found in the clandestine burial site, 5 of which corresponded to the missing miners.
The identified bodies were reported to be:
-Antonio de la O Valdez
-José Antonio Jiménez
-José Ángel Hernández Vélez
-Ignacio Aurelio Salazar Flores
-José Manuel Castañeda Hernández
The identities of the remaining 5 bodies have not been confirmed.
THE ‘CONFUSION’
Despite reports that the kidnapping stemmed from possible extortion payment defaults, on February 10, Federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch asserted that the miners were abducted by members of “Los Chapitos” after being mistaken for members of “Los Mayos.”
This assertion was based on statements from four detainees.
“With the initial arrests made by the Army of four individuals allegedly responsible for the kidnapping, they are stating that these initial statements from the detainees were mistaken for members of a rival group.”
TOURISTS IN MAZATLÁN
Tourists from the State of Mexico were kidnapped by armed men in Mazatlán’s Golden Zone on February 3.
Just a day earlier, authorities had touted the increased security operations in the area due to the upcoming holiday weekend, which also preceded the traditional Carnival celebrations held from February 12th to 17th.
However, six members of a family from Ixtlahuaca, including a minor, were abducted by gunmen after renting off-road vehicles, a common activity in the tourist area.
The kidnapping victims were:
-Óscar García, 30 years old
-Monserrat, 28 years old (Óscar’s wife)
-Dana, 9 years old (their daughter)
-Omar Alexis Ramírez Sabino, 30 years old
-Javier Ramírez Sabino, 25 years old
-Gregorio Ramírez Sabino, 19 years old
Hours later, authorities located the abandoned vehicles in the Cerritos area, and Monserrat and Dana were also found in the town of El Habla.
However, nothing has been heard from the other four victims since then. Family members reported that Óscar García is a physical education teacher, a profession he practices in Jiquipilco.
Source: reforma
