Central Region: Police arrest 20 'galamseyers'
The Central North Regional Police Command of the Ghana Police Service has arrested 20 suspects for engaging in illegal mining activities in the Central Region.
Four excavators, eight pumping machines, and eight dredging machines, popularly known as “changfans,” have also been seized in a series of anti-galamsey operations.
On May 25, 2025, a task force led by Regional Commander DCOP Abraham Acquaye conducted an intelligence-led operation at Ebenezer, a suburb of Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District.
The operation resulted in the arrest of eight individuals engaged in illegal mining activities.
The suspects have been identified as Kwame Joe, aged 45; Yaw Mireku, 28; Mark Baba, 18; Kofi Donkor, 18; Nana Kwame, 26; Yaw Marfo, 30; Okyere David, 18; and Kwaku Asante, 28.
The team seized two excavators and a cylinder machine, which were transported to the Diaso Police Station. Eight pumping machines were retrieved and moved to the Regional Headquarters in Assin Fosu.
In a separate intelligence-led operation on May 29, 2025, Chief Superintendent David Ashong, the Dunkwa-On-Offin Divisional Commander, ASP Emmanuel Bruce, the FPU Base Commander, and a team of 20 officers arrested two individuals, Samuel Ankamah and Daniel Agyemang, who were operating excavators along the Offin River.
Both suspects were detained, and the excavators were impounded at the station pending further investigations.
In another operation, police acting on a tip-off arrested some illegal miners who had mounted dredgers and were mining in the Offin River at Dunkwa township.
The individuals who were arrested are Kwesi Attey, Anane Sampson, Saviour Aziati, Augustine Arthur, Gabriel Gidisu, Siame Joe, Louis Ntoseh, Yaw Adomina and Wasiu Latiff.
Police’s preliminary investigations established that the ‘changfans’ used in the illegal operation on the River Offin were owned by Kwesi Attey, Aboagye DaCosta, Apeti, and Abass.
Efforts are underway to apprehend these owners to assist in the ongoing investigation.
Due to the inability to retrieve or dismantle the ‘changfans’ from the river and to prevent the equipment from being reclaimed and reused by the miners, the police set all eight machines ablaze at the scene.
Exhibits retrieved from the site include a small quantity of black residue suspected to be related to mining, eight fresh wooden boards, and moulded metal materials found along the riverbank.
All suspects are currently in police custody and are being processed for court.
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