Two Chinese nationals have been arrested for illegally mining at a site in Patatwumso in the Western Region.
They were apprehended by the Wassa East District Security Council at their rented residence at Ateiku.
According to a report by Citinewsroom, the illegal miners were being protected by armed guards, when they were captured.
The District Chief Executive for Wassa East, Wilson Arthur, explained that the operation was undertaken by the Police, BNI and Operation Vanguard team.
“DISEC’s attention was drawn to their operations about five weeks ago. We sent the District Police Command and the BNI to pick more intel to inform responses. Based on the information, Operation Vanguard stormed the location but the report was that they fled and were not caught,” he said.
He noted that the illegal miners were preparing to leave the mining site and had begun disassembling their machines when they were apprehended.
“DISEC cooperated with the national team and successfully picked up two Chinese [persons] who were at the Ateiku residence. They led the team to the Patatwumso site and exhibits were picked,” Mr. Arthur added.
In 2017, the Akufo-Addo government waged a war on illegal mining activities, locally known as galamsey, and placed a temporal ban on small-scale mining.
The Operation Vanguard taskforce was subsequently set up to guard the various illegal mining sites.
The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation later set up a Galamstop taskforce to support the Operation Vanguard team in fighting illegal mining.
However, recent reports indicate that illegal mining activities are still ongoing in some parts of the country. Meanwhile, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister has directed the Forestry Commission to stop issuing permits for mining in the forests.
Samuel Abu Jinapor said no company or individual will be allowed to go near the forests or river bodies to mine. The move is geared towards clamping down on illegal mining and other land degrading activities in the forests. President Akufo-Addo has also ordered the deployment of 200 military men to guard some river bodies across the country.
