The Inspector-General of Police this week ordered major raids on illegal mining operations in and around the River Ankobra in the Western and Western Central regions, leading to the arrest of a total of 61 illegal miners.

The suspects included 17 Burkinabes, with the rest being Ghanaians.

Several changfan machines were destroyed, while six excavator machine monitors, two excavator batteries, and 32 gallons of fuel were seized.

In Nzema East, the operation was led by the Municipal Chief Executive, Herbert Nuah Dickson, the Divisional Police Commander, Isaac Kwasi Sorkpah, and other high-ranking police officers.

The team encountered miners actively operating on the River Ankobra. Among those arrested was 20-year-old Musah Ali and his colleagues, who were polluting the river at Abelebo and Duale.

In the Western Central region, a separate operation led by the Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Appiah Kusi, resulted in the arrest of 10 individuals who were mining near the Akyem Motor Road and beneath high-tension electricity transmission lines.

Another operation in the same region, led by the Regional Crime Officer and involving 30 personnel at Kaniankor-Nsuaem, saw the arrest of 50 illegal miners. One of the suspects, 47-year-old Kwame Sarfo, was found in possession of substances suspected to be narcotic drugs.

Police say all suspects are being processed for court.

The coordinated operations covered Nzema East, Kaniankor-Nsuaem, areas along the Akyem Motor Road, and locations on the River Ankobra at Abelebo and Duale.