Galamsey Fight: 15 arrested for illegal mining in Kumasi

Fifteen suspects have been apprehended by the Ashanti Regional Police Command for engaging in illegal mining.

The arrests were made during a special intelligence-led operation by the police, targeting illegal mining activities at Watreso and Preacher Krom in the Manso Adubia enclave of the Ashanti Region.

The Ghana Police Service, in a statement issued via its official Facebook page, said the operation led to the arrest of suspects believed to be actively engaged in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Those arrested suspects include Tahiru Ibrahim (24), Shaibu Idrissu (23), Boateng Emmanuel (27), Jamon Kwaku Samuel (21), Yaro Patrick (29), Kofi Boakye (21), Gubong Mathew (45), Fatawu Zackari Seidu (26), Abdul Malik Seidu (22), Dauda Tahiru (23), Sampson Grace (21), Boolangkpuo Freda (24), Arima Hagar (26), Kwarteng Vasco (30), and Kwame Adutwum (24).

The police also retrieved items suspected of being used in the illegal mining operations from the site.

These include two excavator control boards, two automatic pump-action guns, two Musler 12 firearms, fifty-nine BB cartridges and three AA cartridges, one water pumping machine, two power generators, one vulcanising machine and one Apsonic motorbike.

The suspects are currently in police custody and are assisting with ongoing investigations. The seized equipment and weapons have been retained as part of the evidence.

The Ghana Police Service further reiterated its commitment to combating illegal mining and related criminal activities, stating that such operations will continue as part of broader efforts to restore environmental integrity and ensure public safety in mining-prone communities.