
As part of efforts to curb the illegal mining menace in the country, the Ghana Police Service has arrested 208 individuals and recovered 99 excavators during a nationwide operation aimed at safeguarding the country’s water bodies and natural resources.
The police, in a statement issued on Tuesday, May 13, said the anti-galamsey initiatives carried out between March and May 2025 focused on key areas across several regions, with significant recoveries in the Western Region.
In an important operation around Samreboi along the Tano River, as well as in Wassa Dunkwa and Tigarikrom, law enforcement apprehended 58 suspects, which included 50 Ghanaians and eight Chinese nationals.
They seized 85 excavators and three bulldozers in the process.
The Western Regional Police Command also arrested 19 suspects, confiscating three excavators and three pump-action guns.
In the Eastern South Region, 24 individuals were arrested, including a Burkinabe national, along with the seizure of five excavators and an assortment of weapons, such as three single-barrel guns and one pump-action gun.
Further north, police in Upper West arrested seven Ghanaians and impounded 11 changfangs along with three motorbikes.
Meanwhile, the Western Central Command detained 85 suspects, 76 Ghanaians and nine Chinese, and recovered 11 excavators.

In the Eastern North Command, 15 individuals, including one Chinese national, were arrested, with excavator control boards, monitors, and a pistol confiscated.
In total, this extensive operation resulted in the seizure of 99 excavators, three bulldozers, 11 changfangs, four pump-action guns, three single-barrel guns, one pistol, and various vehicles, motorbikes, tricycles, generators, gold detectors, and pumping machines.
All suspects are currently undergoing legal proceedings.
The Police Service has reiterated its dedication to fighting illegal mining and has called upon the public to assist in the efforts to protect Ghana’s environment and its natural resources.