By Jones Anlimah
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) Task Force has arrested two Chinese nationals for engaging in illegal mining activities within the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Jomoro area of the Western North Region.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation conducted on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. The Task Force, upon arriving at the site, was initially denied entry by forest guards but later gained access and discovered active illegal mining operations along the Tano River.
According to a NAIMOS statement, a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 with registration number GR 442-14 was found fleeing the scene with three occupants. Two Chinese nationals were apprehended, while a third suspect, believed to be a Ghanaian, escaped.
The operation uncovered extensive environmental destruction, including diversion of the Tano River and the presence of heavy mining machinery. Four excavators were found at the site, three of which had been immobilized before the team’s arrival, with the fourth immobilized during the operation. Two heavy water pumping machines and twelve makeshift structures were also destroyed.
Items seized included the Toyota Land Cruiser, cash totaling GH₵10,050, mobile phones, cigarettes, lighters, a high-frequency radio, a torchlight, a drum of fuel, a monitor, and a control board.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the Chinese suspects were operating under the cover of the Jomoro Community Mining Project. There are also allegations that the Chief of Jomoro, Kwame Nana Nkansah, issued the concession to them. NAIMOS suspects that the Chinese nationals have been financing and facilitating illegal mining operations in the area.
The two arrested Chinese nationals have since been transferred to the NAIMOS Headquarters in Accra for further investigation.
In a related operation at Essipong in Asankrangwua, also in the Western Region, the NAIMOS Task Force visited a site operated by Bugart Mining, located along the Kwama stream near a major highway. The team discovered the presence of Burkinabe nationals working at the site. The owner claimed that the company was duly registered in 2012, but the Task Force expressed doubts, particularly over the engagement of foreign workers.
The site owner and his son were directed to report to the NAIMOS Headquarters with all Burkinabe workers on Thursday, October 9, 2025, after a CAT excavator at the site was immobilized.
NAIMOS has cautioned all foreign nationals and local collaborators to desist from engaging in illegal mining in forest reserves and water bodies. The Secretariat reiterated its commitment to clamp down on all forms of galamsey activities and urged the public to report any suspicious operations to the appropriate authorities.
