The Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force set up by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has impounded two excavators in the Ashanti Region during intensified operations against illegal mining.
Acting on credible intelligence, a 37-member team led by ASP Bawah Abdul Jalil embarked on a mission to Dwendwenase, a suburb of Juaso in the Asante Akim South Municipality.
With six service vehicles, the team targeted parts of the Dwendwenase Forest Reserve, where illegal mining activities involving foreign nationals, reportedly Chinese, were taking place.
Upon reaching the site, the suspects fled, abandoning two excavators. One was successfully recovered and loaded onto a low-bed carrier, while the second, found to be faulty, could not be moved.
On their return to the Patase base, the task force received intelligence about another excavator hidden in a cocoa farm at Atta Ne Atta, a nearby village. The machine had been deliberately disabled by its operator to prevent seizure, but was eventually restarted and secured.
The Two excavators are now in safekeeping at the Patase base, pending further investigation and legal action.
Meanwhile, the task force has appealed for cooperation from the public, especially opinion leaders and residents of mining communities, to support the national fight against illegal mining, which continues to threaten Ghana’s environment and water bodies.
