NAIMOS arrests Chinese national, 7 others in Ashanti galamsey raid
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) says it has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illegal mining following an intelligence-led operation at Oseikokrom in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region that led to the arrest of eight suspects, including a Chinese national.
According to a statement published by NAIMOS on Facebook, the operation was carried out on May 21 as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle illegal mining networks and protect the country’s natural resources from further destruction.
The task force said officers stormed the galamsey site following intelligence gathering and surveillance operations, leading to the arrest of one Chinese suspect and seven Ghanaian workers allegedly involved in illegal mining activities.
Authorities said the suspects attempted to flee the site upon noticing the approach of the task force but were intercepted and apprehended during the coordinated raid.
The arrested suspects were identified as Huang Wei-ye, a 38-year-old Chinese national, together with Augustine Manu, 23; Kwame Ntoadro, 41; Moses Alou, 30; Alex Lenley, 32; Yaw Owusu, 26; Shaibu Wuni, 26; and Patrick Bampoa, 22.
NAIMOS disclosed that two Toyota Hilux pickup vehicles with registration numbers GX 555-24 and CN 5168-26 were seized at the illegal mining site during the operation.
Task force members also discovered two excavators actively being used for illegal mining activities. One excavator was seized and transported to the NAIMOS logistics holding facility in Kumasi, while the second was immobilised at the site after officers removed its monitor and control board because it could not be moved due to an attached tracking device.
The two vehicles were equally conveyed to the logistics holding area for safekeeping as investigations continue.
In addition, the task force retrieved a pump-action gun from the site and destroyed several makeshift structures believed to have served as hideouts for illegal miners operating within the area.
NAIMOS said the Chinese national had been transferred to its headquarters for further investigations before being handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service in line with legal procedures.
The Ghanaian suspects have also been handed over to the Ghana Police Service at Antoakrom to assist with investigations and possible prosecution.
Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Dominic Buah, said the Secretariat would continue to intensify targeted operations across illegal mining hotspots nationwide.
He explained that the renewed operations form part of broader strategies aimed at disrupting entrenched galamsey syndicates responsible for the destruction of cocoa farms, forest reserves, roads and major water bodies across the country.
According to him, the latest operation demonstrates NAIMOS’ determination to clamp down on illegal mining activities despite the increasing sophistication of some criminal networks involved in the practice.
