Zacatecas Silver completes 2,027 m diamond drill program at El Cristo

Zacatecas Silver Completes 2,027 Metre Diamond Drilling Program at El Cristo, Intersecting Multiphase Silver-Base Metal Veins Across 19 Holes — Assays Pending VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zacatecas Silver Corp. (TSXV: ZAC | OTCQB: ZCTSF | FRA: 7TV) (“Zacatecas Silver” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the completion of its 2026 diamond drilling program at the El Cristo target, located within the Company's Zacatecas Silver Project in the prolific Zacatecas Mining District, Mexico. Major Drilling completed 19 angled diamond drill holes totalling 2,027 m over 32 days (Table 1). Core quality was excellent, with recovery across mineralized zones exceeding 98%.

The program was designed to test shallow depth and strike extensions of the El Cristo intermediate sulphidation epithermal vein system (Figure 1), proximal to holes drilled by the Company in 2022 (see news release dated July 7, 2022), which intercepted intervals including: 9.53 m @ 175 g/t AgEq (167 g/t Ag, 0.12% Zn and 0.03% Pb) in Hole CRI-2022-001; 0.65 m @ 829 g/t AgEq (565 g/t Ag, 1.2 g/t Au, 2.7% Zn and 1.35% Pb) in Hole CRI-2022-005; and Additional intercepts with elevated silver-equivalent grades from multiple scout holes The majority of holes intercepted near-surface (<100 m depth) mineralized structures with downhole widths of up to 3 to 4 m. Mineralization comprised classic multiphase quartz-carbonate base metal veins with abundant clotted sphalerite, galena, and pyrite. Assay results from previous drilling campaigns have demonstrated a strong correlation between gold and silver grades and the presence of sphalerite and galena &#x2014; a relationship that makes the visible mineralization logged in this campaign particularly encouraging.

All core has been photographed, cut, and sampled, and is currently being processed by ALS. Assay results will be released as they are received and compiled. Eric Vanderleeuw, CEO and Director, commented: "Completing 19 holes for over 2,000 metres in 32 days, with core recovery above 98%, reflects strong execution by our team and our drill contractor at El Cristo.

While assays remain pending, the core tells an encouraging story: we intersected multiphase veining with abundant sphalerite and galena across multiple holes, the same mineralization style that has consistently correlated with strong silver and gold grades in our prior drilling here. We look forward to receiving assays from ALS and reporting results as they come in. With El Cristo drilling complete, surface work and drill permitting advancing at Oso Negro, and a steady stream of results expected across the portfolio, this is shaping up to be a very active year." Photograph 1: Massive pyrite and abundant clotted sphalerite and galena and multiphase quartz-carbonate veining.

Hole CRI-2026-29: 89.60 to 91.08. Photograph 2: Multiphase quartz-carbonate vein with abundant banded and clotted pyrite-sphalerite-galena. Hole CRI-2026-30: 101.85 to 104.00.

Photograph 3: Breccia and quartz veinlets infilled with pyrite-sphalerite-galena. Hole CRI-2026-35: 44.30 to 45.90 m. Figure 1: Geological map showing distribution of EL Cristo veins and the location of 2022 and 2026 drill holes.