In the battle against galamsey, or unlawful mining, the Forestry Commission has made notable progress. In the Juaboso Forest District of the Western North Region, a team from the Forestry Commission's Rapid Response Unit recently carried out an operation to tackle illicit mining activities in the Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve.
The group demobilized ten excavators and captured eight people—four of whom were Ghanaians and four of whom were Chinese—who were mining illegally in the reserve.
The Chinese nationals Wen Fu Kin, 58, Lee Pin, 60, and Wen Shi Yu and Wen Yong Cheng, both 30 years old, were identified as the apprehended suspects.
The Ghanaians are Joe Naburi, 37, Abudu Ramani, 41, Kwesi Frank, 42, and Edward Owusu, 25.
The crew came across two people who claimed to be police officers and were carrying AK-47 assault rifles during the mission.
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 firearms and an unregistered motorcycle were also seized.
The Sefwi Wiawso Police Regional Command has received the apprehended individuals for additional investigation and prosecution, along with undetermined amounts of a substance believed to be gold that was confiscated during the operation.
This operation is a component of continuing campaigns against illicit mining operations that have harmed the environment, especially in environmentally delicate places such as the Krokosua Hills Forest Reserve.
Ghana's conservation efforts prioritize protecting the reserve because of its high biodiversity, which has earned it recognition as a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA).
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