–BY Daniel Bampoe
In a sweeping crackdown on illegal mining activities, often referred to as galamsey, the Ghana Police Service has arrested 49 individuals in a series of coordinated operations across four regions.
This development marks a renewed and aggressive stance by the authorities to curtail the environmental and social devastation caused by unauthorized mining.
The operations, described by the police as “intelligence-led,” targeted galamsey hotspots in the Western, Ashanti, Central, and Eastern regions.
Specifically, the raids were conducted at Huniso, Wassa-Dadieso, and Wassa-Gyapa in the Western Region; Akrokerri in the Ashanti Region; Dunkwa-On-Offin and Diaso in the Central Region; and along the Awin River at Pankese and Akyem Akwadum in the Eastern Region.
In the Western Region alone, police officers from the Western Central Regional Command apprehended 19 suspects.
The operation led to the disabling of over 135 chanfan machines—motorized dredging equipment commonly used in illegal river mining.
The Police also seized 23 water pumping machines, four excavator batteries, and a motorbike from the suspects.
In the Ashanti Region, nine persons were arrested in Akrokerri by the Ashanti South Regional Police Command.
The area has long been considered a high-risk zone for unregulated gold extraction.
The Central North Regional Command carried out similar operations in Dunkwa-On-Offin and Diaso, leading to the arrest of 10 individuals.
Among the items seized were four excavators, eight pumping machines, and a cylinder machine.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Region, 11 suspects were rounded up along the Awin River at Pankese and at Akyem Akwadum. 
The Eastern South Regional Command retrieved a range of mining tools, including one excavator monitor, two excavator pedals, seven control boards, and a gold detecting device.
All arrested suspects are currently in police custody and are assisting with ongoing investigations.
The police have not yet disclosed whether charges have been formally filed or if the operations are connected to any larger syndicates.
