The Ghana Police Service has intensified its crackdown on illegal mining, arresting 208 suspects and retrieving 99 excavators in a nationwide operation aimed at protecting the country’s water bodies and natural resources.
A police statement released on Tuesday, May 13, said the anti-galamsey operations, conducted between March and May 2025, targeted hotspots across several regions, with significant recoveries made, particularly in the Western Region.
In a major swoop around Samreboi along the Tano River, Wassa Dunkwa, Tigarikrom, and surrounding communities, police arrested 58 individuals—comprising 50 Ghanaians and eight Chinese nationals—and retrieved 85 excavators and three bulldozers.
The Western Regional Police Command separately apprehended 19 suspects and seized three excavators and three pump-action guns.
In the Eastern South Region, 24 suspects including one Burkinabe national were arrested, with five excavators and a cache of weapons including three single-barrel guns and one pump-action gun retrieved.
Upper West police arrested seven Ghanaians and impounded 11 changfangs and three motorbikes.
The Western Central Command arrested 85 suspects—76 Ghanaians and nine Chinese—and recovered 11 excavators.
The Eastern North Command also arrested 15 suspects, including one Chinese national, and retrieved excavator control boards, monitors, and a pistol.
In total, the nationwide operation has led to the seizure of 99 excavators, three bulldozers, 11 changfangs, four pump-action guns, three single-barrel guns, one pistol, and several vehicles, motorbikes, tricycles, generators, gold detectors, and pumping machines.
All suspects are currently undergoing legal processes.
The Police Service reiterated its commitment to combating illegal mining and called on the public to support efforts aimed at safeguarding Ghana’s environment and natural resources.
