The Rapid Response Team of the Forestry Commission has arrested 31 illegal miners, comprising 28 Chinese nationals and three Ghanaians, for attempting to carry out unlawful mining activities in the Apamprama Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
The arrests were made in Compartment 17 of the reserve, near the Obeng ne Obeng community, after the team foiled what officials described as a coordinated illegal mining operation. The suspects were reportedly brought into the forest by an individual identified as Alhassan.
According to the Forestry Commission, the miners had pitched camp in the forest under the guise of having been granted permission to undertake a reclamation exercise. This claim, the Commission said, is similar to tactics used in previous illegal incursions into protected forest reserves.
The Commission disclosed that about 50 percent of the Apamprama Forest Reserve has already been degraded as a result of persistent illegal mining activities.
During the operation, the Rapid Response Team—drawn from Bekwai, Nkawie, Mankranso, and Dunkwa—immobilised four erected structures within the forest. Officers also seized one pickup truck, one Foton mini truck, and one generator used in the illegal operations.
The Forestry Commission says it remains on high alert and is pushing for the swift prosecution of the suspects to serve as a strong deterrent to others involved in illegal mining.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to protecting forest reserves and combating galamsey, warning that it will continue to intensify operations against encroachers nationwide.
