The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) Task Force has arrested two Chinese nationals and intercepted a group of Burkinabè workers during separate anti-galamsey operations in the Western North and Western Regions.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation on Wednesday, 8 October 2025, when the Task Force stormed the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in Jomoro after reports of illegal mining activities along the Tano River.
You might also like
According to officials, access to the reserve was initially blocked by forest guards, but operatives eventually gained entry and discovered an active mining site.
During the raid, a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 attempted to escape the scene. Two Chinese nationals were arrested, while a third suspect managed to flee.
The NAIMOS Task Force found four excavators, three of which had already been immobilised, with the fourth disabled on-site by the Chinese galamseyers.
Evidence of river diversion, two heavy-duty water pumps, and 12 makeshift mining structures was uncovered. All structures were subsequently destroyed.
Items seized from the site included GH¢10,050 in cash, mobile phones, radio communication devices, fuel drums, and control boards.
The two arrested Chinese nationals have been transferred to the NAIMOS headquarters in Accra for further investigation.
Preliminary findings indicate that they were operating under the guise of the Jomoro Community Mining Project, allegedly granted by the local chief, Nana Kwame Nkansah.
NAIMOS suspects the duo are key financiers of illegal mining in the area, providing both logistical and financial support to local galamsey operators.
“NAIMOS will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any foreign nationals or local sponsors found to be aiding or engaging in galamsey,” the NAIMOS Task Force warned the Chinese galamseyers.
In a related operation at Essipong, near Asankrangwa in the Western Region, NAIMOS operatives inspected Bugart Mining, where several Burkinabè nationals were found working at a site close to the Kwama stream and a major road.
Although the mine owners claimed to have obtained a licence in 2012, Task Force officials raised concerns about the employment of foreign nationals.
A CAT excavator was immobilised, and the owners were directed to report to the NAIMOS headquarters in Accra on Thursday, 9 October, 2025, along with all Burkinabè workers for verification.
