12 Arrested, Excavators Impounded
On August 23, 2025, the Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force arrested 12 suspects, including one female, in Adiewoso and Tettrem, Western Region, seizing two tricycles, a motorcycle, and destroying 25 chanfang machines. The operation, involving the 2BN, police, NAIMOS, and Blue Water Guards, targeted environmental degradation.
In the Ashanti Region, a 37-member team led by ASP Bawah Abdul Jalil impounded three excavators in Juaso and Atta Ne Atta on August 22. Chinese nationals fled the Dwendwenase Forest Reserve, leaving two excavators, one faulty, and another hidden in a cocoa farm, all now at Patase base.
The operations, backed by local intelligence and AI, aim to make illegal mining unviable. Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson vowed sustained action, noting miners’ tendency to return post-raids. The task force also destroyed 50 chanfang machines and structures along the Ankobra River.
Illegal mining has devastated 6,000 hectares of Ghana Rubber Estate Limited’s plantations, destroying 2,000 trees and slashing yields. The Western Regional Coordinating Council and Brigadier General Musa Whajah (retd) stressed community dialogue to curb galamsey’s impact on water bodies like the Ankobra.
The 12 suspects are in custody at Agona Nkwanta, aiding investigations. With 1,500 galamsey arrests in 2025, NAIMOS’s efforts align with national goals to protect Ghana’s environment, as 60% of water bodies face pollution, per EPA data.