The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its crackdown on illegal mining, raiding active galamsey sites along the Subin River at Ahwiren in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The operation uncovered mining activities at the headwaters of the river, where operators had allegedly altered the natural flow by blocking and diverting sections of the watercourse.
Equipment and firearms seized
During the raid, the task force confiscated five monitors and four control boards removed from five excavators. One of the excavators, officials said, had neither a monitor nor a control board.
The team also seized two excavator keys and recovered two Adler pump-action guns together with 19 cartridges. Four pumping engines being used at the site were destroyed.
Investigators noted that the mining activities were taking place barely 50 metres from the Ahwiren-Bekwai main road.
Permit claims under scrutiny
Preliminary checks revealed that the operators had applied for a permit through the relevant mining approval process but had not yet received authorisation.
Officials further discovered that the coordinates where mining was taking place did not match those contained in the application documents.
Although the operators had established offices within the community and maintained that they were not engaged in illegal mining, NAIMOS said the findings raised serious concerns over the legality of the operation.
The latest raid forms part of ongoing efforts by authorities to protect Ghana's rivers and forest reserves from the growing impact of illegal mining activities.
READ ALSO: Bank of Ghana Renames Rural Banks as Community Banks, Opens Door to Urban Expansion
