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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 7, 2010) -

Highlights:

- Apoquindo obtains final exploration permits for Zafranal

- 40,000m of drilling is planned at Zafranal in 2010 including:

-- Confirmation of Teck drill holes

-- In-fill and step out drilling in the Zafranal zone

-- Exploration drilling on several satellite targets

- Initial drill results expected by end of January

Apoquindo Minerals Inc. ("Apoquindo" or "the Company") (TSX VENTURE:AQM)(BVLAC:AQM), through its wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary, Minera KoriTambo SAC, is pleased to announce the granting of final exploration permits for the Zafranal project from the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines and the commencement of the 2010 drilling program.

"We started the highly anticipated drill program at Zafranal as soon as our permits were granted. We look forward to confirming and expanding the main zone at Zafranal as well as testing some of its satellite porphyry targets," comments President Bruce Turner. "Teck Resources Limited's Peruvian subsidiary, Teck Cominco Peru S.A. ("Teck") completed a significant amount of work on Zafranal, which identified the core area of the mineralization. Apoquindo's drill program will focus on confirming the thickness and grade of the enriched supergene layer, expanding the deposit along strike and testing the potential at depth for primary mineralization."

The 2010 drill program will consist of 40,000 metres of diamond and reverse circulation drilling. The initial drilling will be concentrated in the main zone to confirm several of Teck's reverse circulation (RC) drill holes from 2004 and 2005. This will be followed by step out drilling at 100 metre centres in the main zone using diamond drill holes which will be pre-collared with RC drilling through the leached zone (40-100m) in order to expedite and minimize spending throughout the program. One reverse circulation and two diamond drill rigs have been mobilized to the project and have commenced drilling. The Company anticipates the addition of more drill rigs during the course of Zafranal's intensive 2010 drilling campaign.

Teck's previous exploration efforts at Zafranal included a total of 11,805 m of drilling in 36 holes (32 RC, 4 diamond). Select results from the enrichment blanket included:

- 70m @ 1.08% TCu & 0.25 g/t Au (RC hole 7)

- 110m @ 1.02% TCu (RC hole 8)

- 110m @ 1.22% TCu (DDH hole 1 - twin of RC 8)

- 77m @ 1.80% TCu & 0.21 g/t Au (DDH hole 4)

The drill program is being carried out by AK Drilling International S.A. under the supervision of Minera KoriTambo's exploration team. After completion of the intense drill program at Zafranal, the Company anticipates completing a resource estimate on the Zafranal Main Zone in the third quarter of 2010

Zafranal is located 90 km northwest of Arequipa, Southern Peru. Zafranal was first discovered by Teck in 2003 through a generative exploration program within the northern segment of Peru's Porphyry Copper Belt, which is home to several major copper deposits, such as Southern Copper´s Toquepala and Cuajone mines, Anglo American´s Quellaveco Project and Freeport MacMoran´s Cerro Verde mine. Apoquindo can acquire an initial 51% interest in the project, subject to a back-in right and royalty reserved to Teck, as described in the May 14, 2009 press release.

Dr. Tom Henricksen, consultant geologist of the Company and Chief Geologist for Minera KoriTambo, the Company's Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101, has approved the information contained in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bruce Turner, President and CEO

ABOUT APOQUINDO: The Company is a Canadian based mineral exploration company whose principal purpose is the acquisition and development of base metal deposits in South America. The Company has two projects in Peru through its wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary, Minera Koritambo SAC: the Zafranal Copper-Gold Porphyry Project (recently optioned from Teck Resources Limited's Peruvian subsidiary, Teck Cominco Peru S.A.), located in the Paleocene Southern Peru Cu-Porphyry Belt, in the department of Arequipa, Peru and the Pachagon Porphyry Copper Project, located in the department of La Libertad, Peru. In Chile, the Company has a joint venture, Antakena Mining, with Minera S.A. to advance the Apoquindo Copper Oxide Project comprised of highly prospective leachable copper deposits under option located in a historic mining district in the Antofagasta Region's Coastal Range. Please refer to [ www.apoquindominerals.com ] for further information regarding the Company and its projects.

Management and directors have extensive experience working for the world's largest mining companies as well as several junior exploration companies. Apoquindo Minerals has offices in Santiago, Chile, Lima, Peru and Vancouver, Canada.

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