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Officials say the miners might have gotten caught up in an ongoing turf war.
Authorities in Mexico are investigating the abduction and killing of 10 miners in the violence-hit state of Sinaloa, as early findings point to a case of mistaken identity.
According to the news agency EFE, officials say rival criminal factions operating in the region may have been behind the attack, amid an ongoing turf war over drug trafficking routes.
Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection reported that initial testimony from suspects suggests the miners were wrongly identified as members of a competing gang.
Speaking at a regular morning press conference on Tuesday, Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said four people had been detained by the army for their alleged role in the kidnappings.
“According to the initial detentions carried out by the army, four people were arrested for allegedly being responsible for the illegal deprivation of liberty. They mentioned that the miners were confused with members of an antagonistic group,” García Harfuch said according to EFE.
Five identified
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Monday that five of the 10 missing miners had been identified. Their remains will be returned to families in Zacatecas, Chihuahua, Sonora and Guerrero.
Five additional bodies found at the same site are still undergoing forensic identification.
Relatives, cited by local media, said armed men abducted the miners on Jan. 23.
Rival groups clash
The detainees are believed to belong to a faction of “Los Chapitos,” a criminal group vying for control of the drug trade in Sinaloa. Authorities say they may have mistaken the miners for members of the rival faction known as “Los Mayos.”
García Harfuch said the investigation remains ongoing and further arrests are possible as officials seek to clarify the motive and determine accountability.
The case has unfolded against a backdrop of persistent violence in Sinaloa, one of Mexico’s leading mineral-producing regions.
Sources: EFE, Mexican Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection
