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State-Backed Gunmen Seize Indé Mine in Durango Mexico

December 23, 2025By silverstarsilver8 min read
State-Backed Gunmen Seize Indé Mine in Durango Mexico

by Jon Little intern Niko Moretti

RE: Armed Takeover at Private Mining Operation in Durango, Mexico

DURANGO STATE, MEXICO – December 22, 2025
An alarming incident has unfolded at the Indé Project, a privately held polymetallic mining operation in northern Durango, Mexico. According to a letter issued to shareholders by Robert John Harrington, chairman of ECI (owner of Minera Indé de Durango, “MID”), armed individuals backed by municipal police and state officials forcibly seized control of the company’s mine and plant facilities on December 5, 2025.

After a tense standoff with on-site security forces, ECI leadership made the decision to stand down to avoid bloodshed, allowing the heavily armed contingent—believed to be members of a notorious criminal organization tied to regional authorities—to enter the property.

“All our company’s people are safe and there has been no violence,” Harrington wrote. “However, the mine, mill, and all of our infrastructure are unavailable to us. This is obviously an unsustainable situation that we are working to rectify.”

Harrington confirmed that Mexican attorneys have alerted federal authorities, including the Mexican Army, and that efforts are underway to resolve the illegal occupation peacefully. The company reports that the situation has drawn attention “at the highest levels” of government in both Mexico and abroad.

The Indé Project spans over 4,000 hectares and includes more than 25 known epithermal veins. The site has a long mining history, with significant gold and silver production recorded between the 1950s and 1960s. ECI, through its subsidiary MID, modernized the property and recently commissioned an updated NI 43-101–compliant technical report detailing current resources and exploration potential.

For now, control of the mine remains in dispute. ECI leaders have pledged to work “tirelessly” to restore lawful operations and safeguard the interests of employees, shareholders, and local stakeholders.

ECI’s chairman, Robert John Harrington sent a letter to shareholders on December 15th, 2025 over the armed seizure of the company’s flagship Indé Mine in Durango, Mexico. In the following letter, he updates shareholders on the incident, its impact on operations and the issuer bid, and outlines the steps being taken in response

—————— copy of letter —————————————-

December 15, 2025

Dear Shareholders:

As you all know, ECI recently went through a significant reorganization through a process of a private share purchase and associated offering to all shareholders, along with an issuer bid. The issuer bid was extended to allow all shareholders an opportunity to participate, with closing scheduled for Monday, December 15th, 2025. I am writing this note to inform you that due to recent events at our flagship Inde Mine in Durango, Mexico, we will be extending the issuer bid to give all shareholders more time to process the new information provided in this letter.

On December 5th, 2025, armed individuals, backed by municipal police and state officials, forcibly took over ECI’s mining operations at Inde. After a brief standoff with our on-site security forces, the decision was taken to de-escalate the situation by having our security forces stand down and letting the large armed contingent enter the facility. This decision was taken upon verification that the perpetrators of this action were members of a notorious criminal organization that operates in this region that is heavily integrated into the state and local government.

As of this letter, I can report that all our company’s (Minera Inde de Durango, MID) people are safe and that there has been no violence. However, for the time being, the mine, mill and all of our infrastructure are unavailable to us. This is obviously an unsustainable situation that we are working to rectify. We are grateful for the support we have received from the local community, the surface landowners and the other stakeholders in the region.

Immediately upon the occurrence of these events, our Mexican attorneys notified the appropriate federal government authorities, including the Mexican Army. I can report that every effort is being made to solve this illegal, criminal act as rapidly and as peacefully as possible.

This is a developing and delicate situation that is getting attention at the highest levels. I will keep shareholders updated on any significant developments.

I will close by saying that while this is obviously not the holiday letter I wanted to write, I want to assure you all that we will work tirelessly to solve this situation ASAP. I am available to answer any questions you may have.

Regards,

Bob

end of letter

Timeline of Events:

  1. October 9, 2025 – ECI EXPLORATION AND MINING INC.

    OFFER TO PURCHASE FOR CASH UP TO US$XXXXXXXXXXXX IN VALUE OF ITS COMMON SHARES AT A PURCHASE PRICE OF US$XXXXXXX PER COMMON SHARE

  2. December 5, 2025: armed individuals, backed by municipal police and state officials, forcibly took over ECI’s mining operations at Inde.

  3. Letter of shareholder sent December 15th, 2025

  4. NOTICE OF VARIATION TO EXTEND THE ISSUER BID to FEB 15, 2026

This document is an official Notice of Variation from ECI Exploration and Mining Inc., announcing an extension of its issuer bid (share buyback offer) to February 15, 2026. The company is offering to repurchase up to 1.06 billion shares at US$0.016 each, totaling about US$16.95 million. All previous terms remain unchanged. The extension allows shareholders more time to respond due to a recent takeover incident at ECI’s Inde Mine in Mexico. It also includes standard legal disclaimers advising shareholders to consult financial or legal advisors and noting no regulatory approval of the offer.

The armed takeover at the Indé Mine is the kind of “outlier event” that vindicates Jon Little’s long‑running thesis that Mexico has become a structurally dangerous jurisdiction for foreign‑owned silver projects under Morena. For years, he has argued that resource nationalism, cartel penetration and politicized law enforcement would eventually converge on strategic mining assets—and now that convergence is visible in real time.​

Little’s work has repeatedly framed Morena’s “Fourth Transformation” as a coordinated campaign to reclaim natural resources for “the people,” moving stepwise from lithium to electricity, quarries and ultimately silver, with foreign miners cast as expendable collateral. The Indé incident, where armed actors allegedly aligned with local authorities simply displace a private operator, looks less like a random crime and more like the predictable next chapter in a resource‑nationalist environment that no longer reliably defends property rights.​

Just as Michael Burry was ridiculed for saying the U.S. housing market would implode—until defaults and margin calls proved him right—Little has been dismissed as alarmist for warning that Mexico was “sprinting toward” silver nationalization and making Mexico‑exposed silver miners effectively uninvestable. With mines being seized, concessions frozen, and nationalization openly debated, the Indé takeover functions as Little’s “subprime blow‑up” moment: the concrete, headline‑driven proof that the risk he mapped out in dozens of jurisdictional‑risk and nationalization pieces was never theoretical, but a live structural hazard that investors ignored at their peril.

This is a developing story.

I have written about Mexico, the Morena party and the inevitability of silver nationalization over 65 times in past two years, here is a short list below

  1. President of Mexico Affirms, “NO NEW MINING CONCESSIONS WILL BE GRANTED”
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/president-of-mexico-affirms-no-new​

  2. Mexico’s Mining Crackdown: Investors Urged to Dump Silver Stocks Now
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/mexicos-mining-crackdown-investors​

  3. Resource Nationalization in Mexico Sends Silver Prices Skyrocketing
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/resource-nationalization-in-mexico​

  4. Mexico: One Sandal Away from Nationalizing Silver
    (Linked and described here as a focused warning on imminent silver nationalization in Mexico.)
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/mexico-one-sandal-away-from-nationalizing-silver​

  5. Eight Iron Clad Reasons to SELL ALL YOUR SILVER MINING STOCKS IF THEY OPERATE IN MEXICO
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/eight-iron-clad-reasons-to-sell-all-your-silver-mining-stocks-if-they-operate-in-mexico​

  6. SELL SELL SELL, if you own Silver Mining Stocks Operating in Mexico
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/sell-sell-sell-if-you-own-silver​

  7. Mexico’s Silver Sovereignty: Morena Party’s Push to Nationalize the Country’s Crown Jewel
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/mexicos-silver-sovereignty-morena​

  8. Mexico to Restart Mining Exploration in 2026, Signals Accelerated Steps Toward Nationalizing Silver
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/mexico-to-restart-mining-exploration​

  9. China’s Mentorship Fuels Mexico’s Silver Nationalization
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/chinas-mentorship-fuels-mexicos-silver​

  10. Inside the Revolution: PR Tour With Morena, Mexico 2025 Exposes the Coming Silver Nationalization
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/inside-the-revolution-pr-tour-with​

  11. Brave Enough to Warn You: How Mexico’s “Fourth Transformation” Threatens Silver Investors
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/brave-enough-to-warn-you-how-mexicos​

  12. Silver Academy Racks Up Another Prediction: MEXICO GOES FULL RESOURCE NATIONALISM
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/silver-academy-racks-up-another-prediction​

  13. Mexico’s Morena Party: The Meaning of Their New Mandate for Silver Investors
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/mexicos-morena-party-the-meaning​

  14. Silver Shockwave: Vaults Drained, Mines Declining, and Mexico’s Nationalist Squeeze
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/silver-shockwave-vaults-drained-mines​

  15. Silver’s Silent Crisis: The Metal the World Can’t Live Without Is Being Politicized in Mexico
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/silvers-silent-crisis-the-metal-the​

  16. America’s Silver Lifeline at Risk: $5 Billion Federal Rescue Follows Mexico’s Resource Nationalism
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/americas-silver-lifeline-at-risk​

  17. Mexico’s New Mining Laws: How Morena’s Nationalism Is Cornering Foreign Silver Investors
    (Referenced within the crackdown analysis and linked legal/regulatory discussion.)
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/mexicos-new-mining-laws​

  18. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Launches Bold Crusade to Reclaim Energy Sovereignty
    (Cited as part of the Mexico–silver resource nationalism series.)
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/mexicos-president-claudia-sheinbaum-launches-bold-crusade-to-reclaim-energy-sovereignty​

  19. SilverSqueeze 2.0 and Mexico’s Nationalism: Once in a Lifetime Opportunity
    https://thesilverindustry.substack.com/p/silversqueeze-2-0-and-mexicos-nationalism​

  20. Mexico’s Mining Industry Under Reform: Legal Challenges and an Uncertain Future for Silver
    (Used within Silver Academy citations as a key risk reference for silver investors in Mexico.)
    https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/mexicos-mining-industry-under-reform-legal-challenges-and-an-uncertain-future

    end of segment

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