In a bold escalation of Ghana’s anti-illegal mining drive, the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) Task Force has dismantled a sophisticated galamsey operation in the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve, arresting two Chinese nationals suspected of bankrolling local miners and diverting the vital Tano River, while flagging a separate site employing undocumented Burkinabè workers for further scrutiny.
The intelligence-driven raid on Wednesday, October 8, unfolded deep in the reserve near Jomoro, where operatives faced initial resistance from forest guards before forcing entry into the heavily mechanized site.
Spotting a fleeing Toyota Land Cruiser V8 (registration GR 442-14) with three occupants, the team pursued and apprehended two Chinese suspects, while a Ghanaian accomplice escaped into the underbrush.
Evidence at the scene revealed extensive environmental sabotage: river diversion channels, four excavators (three pre-immobilized by locals or prior patrols, one neutralized on-site), two heavy-duty water pumps, and 12 makeshift wooden camps—all razed by the task force.
Seized items painted a picture of organized crime: GH¢10,050 in cash, an iPhone and Huawei phone, three cigarette packs, two lighters, an HF radio for clandestine coordination, a torchlight, a 200-liter fuel drum, a mining monitor, and a control board.
Preliminary probes suggest the duo masqueraded under the Jomoro Community Mining Project, allegedly greenlit by local Chief Kwame Nana Nkansah, while funneling funds and logistics to proxy Ghanaian operators—a tactic NAIMOS links to broader foreign-sponsored syndicates evading direct scrutiny.
The suspects were swiftly transferred to NAIMOS headquarters in Accra for interrogation and prosecution, underscoring the secretariat’s zero-tolerance stance since its June 2025 launch as a centralized anti-galamsey nerve center.
“NAIMOS will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anyone—local or foreign—sponsoring or facilitating these destructive operations,” a spokesperson warned, urging citizens to report via hotlines amid rising threats from armed miners and polluted water sources.
Parallel Probe Targets Burkinabè Labor at Bugart Mining
In a concurrent sweep at Essipong near Asankrangwa in the Western Region, NAIMOS inspectors uncovered irregularities at Bugart Mining Company, a purported licensed small-scale outfit along the Kwama stream—mere meters from a first-class highway.
Site owner claims dated to a 2012 license, but the presence of several Burkinabè nationals as laborers triggered alarms over labor laws and potential galamsey ties, given the site’s proximity to sensitive waterways.
A Caterpillar excavator was immobilized on-site, and the owner—along with his son—was ordered to report to Accra on October 9 with all foreign workers for visa, permit, and operational audits.
This follows a pattern of foreign involvement, as seen in recent NAIMOS busts: seven Chinese arrested in Evalue-Gwira on November 5, and a Burkinabè among suspects at Bronikrom-Hwediem in Ahafo on November
These raids, part of a October 5–9 offensive reclaiming sites like Aboso’s “Gangway” enclave and Cape Three Points, netted six excavators, narcotics, and dozens of arrests overall, blending military precision with environmental restoration.
Yet, as galamsey ravages nine of Ghana’s 44 forest reserves and spikes mercury levels in rivers, critics decry slow prosecutions and elite complicity, echoing calls for bipartisan resolve beyond partisan finger-pointing.
Under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, NAIMOS—bolstered by Blue Water Guards and drone patrols—signals a renewed offensive, but sustainability hinges on tackling financiers and restoring livelihoods to curb the cycle of desperation fueling the gold rush.
