–BY Daniel Bampoe
In a renewed and forceful campaign to curb illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, the Ghana Police Service has arrested a total of 208 suspects and seized 99 excavators over a two-month period—March and April 2025.
This latest phase of the nationwide anti-galamsey operation underscores the government’s escalating efforts to preserve natural resources and restore devastated lands across mining-affected communities.
The police crackdown has been extensive, with special operations conducted in hotspot areas such as Samreboi, Wassa Dunkwa, Tigarikrom, and surrounding towns along the Tano River in the Western Region.
In that zone alone, 58 suspects—comprising 50 Ghanaians and eight Chinese nationals—were apprehended.
Additionally, 85 excavators and three bulldozers were retrieved in what police described as one of the most coordinated raids in recent months.
Parallel operations were undertaken by regional police commands, yielding more arrests and equipment seizures.
The Western Regional Command reported the arrest of 19 individuals and the seizure of three excavators and three pump-action guns.
In the Upper West Region, seven Ghanaian suspects were arrested, and authorities recovered 11 changfangs—machines commonly used for illegal dredging—and three motorbikes.
The Eastern South Regional Police Command arrested 24 suspects, including one Burkinabe.
They also retrieved five excavators, three single-barrel guns, and a pump-action gun.
Meanwhile, in the Western Central Region, 85 suspects—76 Ghanaians and nine Chinese—were taken into custody, with 11 excavators among other items seized.
In the Eastern North Region, police detained 15 suspects, one of whom is Chinese.
Their haul included four excavator control boards, nine monitor screens, and a pistol, suggesting the dismantling of a more technologically equipped illegal mining network.
In total, police operations across the country have so far resulted in the recovery of 99 excavators, three bulldozers, 11 changfangs, four pump-action guns, three single-barrel guns, one pistol, and an array of additional equipment such as motorbikes, vehicles, tricycles, gold detectors, and water pumping machines.
All suspects are currently undergoing legal processes.
In a statement, the Service emphasized that these operations form part of a broader strategy to safeguard Ghana’s natural environment, particularly rivers and forest reserves which have been severely degraded by galamsey activities.
Illegal mining has long plagued Ghana’s resource-rich regions, with devastating consequences for water bodies, agriculture, and community health.
Despite several government interventions over the years, the practice has persisted, often linked to organized networks involving both local and foreign actors.
However, recent months have seen a notable escalation in state-led enforcement.
The intensified operations follow directives from the Ministry of the Interior and the Presidency, which have placed illegal mining at the center of Ghana’s environmental and national security agenda.
