SilverCrest Mines Commences the Commissioning of New Processing Plant at Santa Elena Mine in Mexico

Vancouver, BC, May 7, 2014 - SilverCrest Mines (TSX:SVL) (NYSE MKT:SVLC) has announced a major milestone for the company with the commencement of the commissioning of its new 3,000 tonne per day CCD-MC processing plant, located at the company's 100% owned Santa Elena Mine, located in the State of Sonora, Mexico.

The scheduled three year Expansion Plan to transition from an open pit heap leach operation to a conventional mill and underground mine is nearing completion. The US$99 million program including drilling, Pre-Feasibility Study, detailed engineering, new processing plant, and underground development is on budget (+/-5%) and has experienced only modest delays from the original schedule. Construction involved approximately 450 workers at its peak with a total of more than 1.5 million man-hours worked.

N. Eric Fier, President and COO stated; "The mill start-up is a significant milestone in the successful development of Santa Elena and the responsible growth created by the "phased approach" business plan of the Company. This major achievement is a testament to the hard-working teams at Santa Elena and SilverCrest as we continue to make the transition from a junior to a mid-tier precious metal producer. The new processing facility and underground mine will significantly increase our silver and gold production in 2014 and beyond."

The commissioning phase for the processing facility, which is expected to span approximately three months, will gradually increase throughput parameters from approximately 500 tonnes per day until the design capacity of 3,000 tonnes per day is reached. The commissioning phase is planned to test all aspects of the facility and remediate any issues that may arise.

Mill feed during the commissioning period will initially come from the leach pad reserve with blending of higher grade underground ore to start in late Q2 2014. Underground development ore is being progressively stockpiled, with approximately 4.7 thousand tonnes grading 1.3 grams per tonne gold and 81 grams per tonne silver on hand, in anticipation of processing during the commissioning period.

During the three month commissioning phase, metal production from the heap leach operation will continue at a reduced rate.

Exploration programs continue to make new discoveries at Santa Elena and have rapidly advanced the definition of a large polymetallic deposit at the La Joya property in Durango State, Mexico.

For more detailed information please refer to today's news release on the company's website www.silvercrestmines.com, or contact Fred Cooper at 1-866-691-1730 ext 108 or email [email protected].