Illegal mining raid: 10 Chinese nationals arrested, cache of guns seized in Ashanti Region
By DL News
Published
1 min read
The intelligence-driven raid, which took place on Friday, 24 October between 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., involved a 55-member taskforce using six pickup trucks and two sprinter buses.
Ghana’s National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) says it has made a significant breakthrough in the fight against galamsey after arresting 10 Chinese nationals during a major operation in Abesua, Ashanti Region.
The intelligence-driven raid, which took place on Friday, 24 October between 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., involved a 55-member taskforce using six pickup trucks and two sprinter buses. To avoid alerting local informants, officers travelled in the sprinter buses to disguise their presence.
At around 12:20 p.m., the team stormed the illegal mining site and apprehended the suspects, who were reportedly operating on heavily degraded land marked by large-scale environmental destruction.
In addition to the arrests, the taskforce confiscated a stockpile of weapons, vehicles, and mining equipment, including:
10 pump action guns and 1.5 boxes of cartridges
A Hilux pickup and a Land Cruiser Prado
Three motorbikes
A pressure washing machine, gas cylinder, excavator battery, two gold scales, dish warmer
Nine buckets of grease oil, fire extinguisher, refrigerator
Two weapon bags, four control boards, four fuel tanks
GH¢4,600 cash and 13 mobile phones
All items are now secured at NAIMOS headquarters for forensic examination.
The arrested Chinese nationals were transported to Accra under armed escort via a 2M Express bus and handed over for further investigation and interrogation.
The Director of Operations praised the officers’ professionalism and warned that the discovery of 10 pump action guns signals the increasing militarisation of illegal mining networks.
