Portugal Colonial - Camino to Commence Drilling at its Los Chapitos Copper Project in Peru; Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines Names Los Chapitos Among Top 15 Priority Exploration Projects

Highlights:

• The latest results of trenching at the targets to be drilled showed:

  • Mirador: 129m @0.98 % Cu and 20.59 ppm Ag (including: 90m @ 1.07% Cu and 20.98 ppm Ag; 12m @ 2.07% Cu and 60.63 ppm Ag; 26m @ 1.30% Cu and 28.96 ppm Ag)

  • Piloto: 12m @2.3% Cu and 21.13 ppm Ag.

  • Maqui: 7m @4.3% Cu and 25.5 ppm Ag.

  • Enjambre: 18m @1.57% Cu and 11.35 ppm Ag.

  • Adriana: 15m @0.75% Cu and 9.46 ppm Ag.

  • Lourdes: 6m @2.80% Cu and 31.55 ppm Ag.

  • Sombrero Blanco: 25m @0.52% Cu and 3.00 ppm Ag.

• Copper mineralization is associated with copper oxides and sulfides hosted in intrusive and volcanic rocks.

• Strong positive correlation between copper and silver mineralization.

• Drilling is planned to begin the first week of November 2025.

• Los Chapitos selected by Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) as one of 15 priority exploration projects.

Los Chapitos is Camino's exploration copper project with partner Nittetsu, which is earning a 35% interest upon completing a total investment of CDN$10 Million (see news release dated June 14, 2023). Rio Tinto, a major copper producer, recently staked claims adjacent to Los Chapitos (see news release dated May 17, 2024). Camino is also advancing its mine development project, the construction-ready Puquios copper project, with Nittetsu in Chile (see news release dated April 17, 2025). 

"Los Chapitos has been recognized by Peru's Ministry of Energy and Minesto advance strategic mineral exploration in 2025 and 2026 to meet the national Perú Explora initiative. Indeed, we are also getting noticed by major mining companies like Rio Tinto that have staked ground adjacent to Los Chapitos", commented Jay Chmelauskas, CEO of Camino. "Our Los Chapitos exploration drilling campaign is set to start in November in Peru, while we get our finance package in place for the construction of our Puquios copper mine in Chile."

"Drilling at Los Chapitos follows intensive geological field work, including geological mapping, sampling of soil and rock, and mechanized trenching at targets located within the Diva and La Estancia trends this year," said Orlando Pariona, lead geologist at Camino Corp. "This has allowed us to identify targets with the greatest potential for extending and/or discovering additional Cu-Ag mineralized bodies."

Los Chapitos Drill Campaign
The objective of this drilling campaign is to cut mineralized breccias and copper mantos that have been identified on the surface through detailed mapping and mechanized trenching, to search for continuity and extension at depth and validate the high copper and silver grades observed at surface. The program will commence with approximately 9 drillholes consisting of 1,200 metres and is expected to expand to over 3,000 metres with the next $1.5 million Nittetsu investment tranche anticipated in December 2025.

The drilling targets are located along the Diva and La Estancia trends, where the latest exploration work has demonstrated high-grade copper potential at Los Chapitos (see news releases dated June 17, 2025 and July 16, 2025). The targets in the Diva trend will be Mirador, Adriana, Katty (Piloto, Maqui, and Enjambre), and Lourdes. Sombrero Blanco is along the La Estancia trend and is a high priority target once certain drilling permits are obtained.

This new program builds on the results obtained during the drilling campaigns from 2017 to 2023, which confirmed the presence of high-grade copper mineralization in volcanic rocks of the Chocolate Formation, particularly in the Adriana, Lourdes, and Enjambre sectors. Based on these results, Camino's geological team has developed detailed 3D models of the mineralized system, based on high-resolution structural and lithological mapping.

Los Chapitos is in a strategic location with road access, infrastructure availability, and proximity to the Pacific coast, offering significant logistical advantages for the future development of the project. Excavators and drilling rigs will be mobilized to Los Chapitos during October, 2025 to prepare drilling pads for the start of drilling in November.

The drilling target expressed in this release is conceptual in nature. The target has had insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the exploration target being delineated as a mineral resource.

Los Chapitos Project Update
The Los Chapitos Project has been selected by Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines ("MINEM") as one of 15 priority exploration projects within the national initiative "Perú Explora: Actions to Drive the Advancement of Strategic Mineral Exploration Projects 2025-2026."

Since July 2025, MINEM has been holding technical working meetings with the companies leading Peru's key exploration projects. The goal of this initiative is to facilitate permitting processes, attract new exploration investment, and strengthen a sustainable portfolio of projects with both regional and national impact.

In September 2025, Camino participated in a work session at the Ministry of Energy and Mines with representatives from the Directorate of Mining Promotion, the Directorate of Environmental Mining Affairs, and the General Directorate of Mining, reaffirming its commitment to advancing responsible and sustainable mineral exploration in Peru.

About Camino
Camino is a discovery and development stage copper exploration company. On October 7, 2024, Camino signed a Definitive Agreement to purchase the construction-ready Puquios copper mine in Chile. Camino is focused on developing copper producing assets such as Puquios, and advancing its IOCG Los Chapitos copper project located in Peru through to resource delineation and development, and to add new discoveries. Camino has also permitted the Maria Cecilia copper porphyry project for exploration discovery drilling to add to its NI43-101 resources. In addition, Camino has increased its land position at its copper and silver Plata Dorada project. Camino seeks to acquire a portfolio of advanced copper assets that have the potential to deliver copper into an electrifying copper intensive global economy. For more information, please refer to Camino's website at www.caminocorp.com.

Jose A. Bassan, MSc. Geologist, an independent geologist FAusIMM (CP) 227922, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this document. Mr. Bassan has reviewed and verified relevant data supporting the technical disclosure, including sampling and analytical test data. Mr. Bassan has verified the data through site visits, inspection of drill core, review of original assay certificates, and confirmation of QA/QC protocols. No limitations were encountered during the verification process, and the data is considered reliable for the purposes of this disclosure.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are included to provide information about management's current expectations and plans that allows investors and others to have a better understanding of the Company's business plans and financial performance and condition. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information is typically (though not always) identified by words such as "plan", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. In making the forward-looking disclosures in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information in the release includes, without limitation, statements with respect to a future finance package and construction of Puquios, prospectivity of future exploration work at Los Chapitos, future planned drilling programs, and prospectivity for copper exploration in new targets. Although the Company considers the assumptions underlying such forward-looking information to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking information in this release is subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information. Such risk factors include, among others, that actual results of the Company's exploration activities may be different than those expected by management, that the Company may not realize the benefits of joint ventures and/or strategic partnerships with respect to the Company's properties, that the Company may be unable to obtain or may experience delays in obtaining any required authorizations and approvals and the state of equity and commodity markets. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Camino Minerals Corp

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

C.Amaral--PC