Eleven (11) people, made up of three Chinese men and eight Ghanaians have been arrested by the Forestry Commission for mining illegally in Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Western Region.
During the operation, three excavators were seized by the Commission.
The suspected illegal miners have been handed over to the Enchi District Police for investigations.
One of the excavator’s have also been transported to the Enchi District Assembly.
In addition, an official complaint has been filed with the police to proceed with legal action against the suspected illegal miners.
The Forestry Commission has assured the public to protect the country’s forest reserves and fight against illegal mining activities.
On March 10, 2025, it was announced a raid on the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Enchi Forest District of the Western North Region by a joint Forestry Commission and Military taskforce has resulted in the seizure of 10 excavators and the arrest of four individuals.
Thee raid took place on Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Compartments 17 and 20 of the reserve.
This raid forms part of government’s efforts to fight illegal mining (galamsey).
Earlier, on Tuesday, 4 March 2025, operational staff from the Enchi Forest District of the Forest Services Division (FSD), along with the Rapid Response Team, acted on a tip-off and stormed the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve, successfully removing twelve excavators engaged in illegal mining.
However, the team was unable to make any arrests, as they were outnumbered and the miners were armed.
Following an intelligence report on Thursday, 6 March 2025, indicating that illegal miners were planning to return to the reserve, the team re-entered the forest and prevented re-entry.
On Saturday, 8 March 2025, another tip-off revealed that the illegal miners had returned. The team attempted to effect arrests but was once again outnumbered, as the miners were heavily armed and refused to vacate the reserve.
Subsequently, a joint team was deployed to the area, leading to the arrests and the seizure of the excavators. The confiscated equipment is being transported to the Enchi District Assembly premises, and a formal complaint has been lodged with the Enchi District Police Command.
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