Eight persons have been arrested by the Ghana Police for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities in the Apremadi community in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region.

The arrests were announced in a police statement issued on Saturday, June 29, 2025, following an intelligence-led operation by the Special Anti-Galamsey Operations Team.

The suspects were reportedly caught in the act at an active mining site in the early hours of the operation.

Those arrested have been identified as Karim Issaka, aged 38; Samuel Dugah, 35; Seidu Karim, 35; Issaka Azitarigah, 24; Boadu Desmond, 29; James Kabutey, 21; Bashiru Idrissu, 19; and Collins Amoako, 24.

All are currently in police custody and assisting with investigations.

Items retrieved from the site included three excavator monitors, four excavator control boards, and three gear levers.

Police said steps are being taken to recover and transport the full excavators from the mining site to a secured location.

The operation forms part of a broader crackdown on illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, particularly in forested and river-prone areas across the Ashanti Region.