A major operation by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has left several illegal mining sites in the Ahanta West Municipality dismantled, with weapons, machines and other equipment seized after a full day of coordinated raids.
The task force, which is currently operating across the Western Region, moved in during the early hours of Thursday, 2026, targeting sites believed to be polluting key water bodies and operating close to public infrastructure.
At Agonakrom, officers found miners working directly in a stream that feeds into the Hwin River. Pumps and pipelines laid in the water were destroyed on site, bringing mining activity there to an abrupt halt.
Residents who rely on the stream watched as the task force cleared the area.
Later in the morning, attention shifted to a large site known locally as Agenda 111 near Mpohor. The illegal operation was located only a short distance from land earmarked for a hospital under the Agenda 111 project.
Parts of the Butre River had been blocked within a palm plantation, with mining taking place directly in the water. The miners fled as soon as they sighted the task force vehicles.
Two Sany excavators were secured and moved to the Mpohor District Office, where they were immobilised. Water pumping machines and explosives found at the site were seized, with the explosives safely disposed of by an expert.
Follow-up raids on the residences of suspected miners led to the recovery of pump-action guns, ammunition, electronic items, an unregistered Toyota Hilux and additional pumping machines.
Operations continued along the Butre River and surrounding communities, with abandoned sites and makeshift structures destroyed.
NAIMOS says it will sustain the operation to keep water bodies free from illegal mining.
