The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has caused the arrest of a suspected illegal miner, identified as Abeka Gogo, following alleged environmental destruction linked to illegal mining activities at Adrekazo in the Nzema East Municipality.

According to the EPA, the suspect is believed to be a lead operator at an illegal mining site known as Gyenyame Gyetei, where mining activities are said to have severely affected nearby farmlands, wetlands and a tributary of the Ankobra River.

The arrest was made during a follow-up inspection conducted jointly by the EPA and other state agencies after operators at the site had earlier been directed on May 19, 2026, to halt all mining and mineral processing activities for operating without the required environmental permits.

However, upon returning to the site the following day, officials reportedly observed indications that operations had continued despite the directive. Some workers fled the area on sighting the inspection team, while one excavator had allegedly been removed overnight, leaving behind two excavators and a wash plant.

Deputy Director of Mining at the EPA, Harrison Afful, described the environmental impact as severe, stating that the miners were washing gold-bearing materials and discharging wastewater directly into wetlands without any waste containment or water recycling systems.

“What you are seeing behind me is a typical effect of illegal mining. They are washing gold-bearing materials and discharging the wastewater directly into the wetlands,” he said.

Mr Afful further disclosed that preliminary investigations suggested the operators had been working at the site for about four months without the necessary permits. The EPA also confiscated gallons of fuel, mineral residue and other operational materials during the operation.

The Authority says it is collaborating with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) to evacuate the remaining excavators and a power plant from the area, while prosecutorial action is expected to be taken against individuals found culpable.