Gro: Armed group abduct Cocula miners from Canadian mining project

By Lucio for Borderland Beat

On Friday afternoon a group of gunmen kidnapped at least 15 people during on a stretch of highway that connects the towns of Nuevo Balsas, Real de Limón and La Función, of the municipality of  Cocula.

 The victims are workers of the Media Luna mine, a Canadian mining project.

The majority of all mining projects, including exploration projects, are Canadian.

In her Iguala reporting, Chivis touched on the link of mines and organized crime in the area being a part of the overall issue of violence and extortion in Guerrero.  She further stated that it was Canadian mining companies conducting the majority of the projects in Guerrero and other Mexican states to acquire cheap gold and other metals. 

The industry has led to abuses of workers, negative environmental impact,  dangerous working conditions, extremely low pay, violence, corruption, and other criminality.  Piso payments to organized crime groups and corrupt government officials are the norm.  As in the labor force in neighboring Michoacán, workers in Guerrero mining must pay a tax to organized crime.

In the year 2010, in nearby Taxco, there was a discovery of more than 60 (other reports claimed 100) bodies in a mine shaft.  Some decapitated bodies, and decapitated heads among the corpses, did not match.  Limbs also. It was determined that a number of victims were thrown down the shaft alive.

The victims were returning home after work around 7:00 pm, in a company van, when intercepted at a point known as the Curva del Dulce.

Juan Zuniga Méndez, mining consultant, announced that early Saturday February 7, there was a coordination of Nuevo Balsa Policía Comunitaria that were planning a rescue attempt after being informed of the kidnapping.

Zuniga acknowledged they do not have an exact number of missing persons, although they are certain the number is between 10 and 15, all originating from nearby facilities of the company. 

He explained that Nuevo Balsas, Real de Limón and La Función are linked by a road which leads to the Media Luna mine.

He reports that although the road where the victims were abducted is extremely busy, it lacks oversight by state and federal police, although at times since the Iguala killings in September there has been sporadic presence of forces.

The mine has private security, but it is a very small group.  This is the first kidnapping ever, of employees at the mine.  Some reports indicate a ransom has been requested of mine executives. 

The company is contracted to mine at Media Luna through 2030.

Guerreros Unidos Cartel and Los Rojos dominate the area.