The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has executed a decisive pre-dawn enforcement raid at Sanfo Adiam in the Amansie East District of the Ashanti Region, arresting two Chinese nationals caught at the heart of an active illegal mining (galamsey) enclave.

The joint operation, conducted in tandem with the Blue Water Guards on Sunday, 24 May 2026, exposed a deliberate and destructive engineering scheme. The Chinese operators had completely blocked and diverted vital sections of the Dankai River into a massive artificial dam built to serve their unlawful gold extraction infrastructure.

The tactical operation was launched between the hours of 0400 and 0700, following days of credible intelligence-gathering that pointed to heavily organised illegal mining clusters along the Dankai River corridor.

Deploying from the Manso Adubia operational base under the cover of total darkness, the joint taskforce utilised the element of surprise to infiltrate the active mining points before the eco-vandals could dismantle their heavy machinery or coordinate an escape.

Upon breaching the site perimeter, NAIMOS operatives observed several individuals actively washing mineralised materials directly in the riverbed. Sensing the approach of the security forces, a number of Ghanaian workers fled deep into the surrounding undergrowth. One of the fleeing local operators was spotted wielding a pump-action firearm, which he used to secure the perimeter before escaping into the thick bush.

The two Chinese nationals present at the washing plants also attempted to escape on foot. However, they were swiftly outmanoeuvred, pursued, and physically pinned down by the joint task force.

The apprehended suspects have been identified as Lu Honggeng, aged 53, and Nong Zisun, aged 41.

The most shocking feature of the enclave was the severe structural distortion of the local environment. To satisfy the high-pressure water demands of their processing plants, the illegal miners had systematically choked off the natural course of the Dankai River, forcing the water into an artificial reservoir.

This deliberate reconfiguration represents a profound assault on the hydrological integrity of the river system. It has triggered immediate ecological degradation while actively cutting off vital downstream water access for indigenous agricultural communities that rely entirely on the river for their daily survival.

The recovery of a firearm on-site has further heightened security concerns. NAIMOS authorities noted that the presence of a pump-action gun in civilian hands demonstrates the increasingly hostile and weaponised nature of illegal mining enclaves within the Amansie East enclave, requiring a higher level of tactical readiness from state forces.

The two Chinese suspects have been escorted under armed guard to the NAIMOS National Secretariat in Accra for comprehensive interrogation, after which they will be formally handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for immediate legal processing and deportation review.

The NAIMOS Secretariat has assured the public that the illegal blockades, structural dams, and artificial channels erected along the Dankai River have been completely dismantled and disrupted.

The Secretariat stated that it would maintain a permanent, high-alert presence within the Amansie East District and surrounding forest reserves over the coming weeks and months. The agency vowed to sustain aggressive field operations until the Dankai River and other polluted water bodies are fully restored to their natural, pristine states.

The regulatory body concluded with a stern warning to all galamsey operators, ordering them to immediately halt the reckless destruction of the nation's precious water basins and forest reserves or face the full rigour of the law.