Significant steps have been taken by the Forestry Commission to combat galamsey, or illegal mining.
In order to stop illicit mining operations, a team from the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Unit recently carried out an operation in the Juaboso Forest District of the Western North Region’s Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve.
Ten excavators were demobilized and eight people, four of whom were Chinese and four of whom were Ghanaian, were taken into custody for illicit mining activities within the reserve.
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Edward Owusu, 25, Kwesi Frank, 42, Abudu Ramani, 41, and Joe Naburi, 37, are the Ghanaians.
The team came across two people who claimed to be police officers and were carrying AK-47 assault rifles during the operation.
Disregarding the illegal miners’ improvised wooden constructions, the team confiscated three Toyota 4x4s bearing the registration numbers GN 4165-12, GT 9334-12, and GS 4895-Z.
Two pump-action guns and an unregistered motorbike were also seized.
The Sefwi Wiawso Police Regional Command has received the arrested suspects for additional investigation and prosecution, along with unspecified amounts of a substance believed to be gold that was seized during the operation.
This operation is part of ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining activities that have had detrimental effects on the environment, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas like the Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve.
The reserve is recognized for its rich biodiversity and is designated as a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA), making its protection a priority for conservation efforts in Ghana.
