The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested nine Chinese nationals engaged in illegal mining in the Wassa Akropong area of the Western Region.

In an operation conducted between August 5 and August 7, 2025, the team apprehended two females and seven males actively involved in the activity.

Four excavators were seized during the operation and are currently in police custody. Other equipment and tools retrieved from the suspects were destroyed on-site.

The arrested individuals have been transferred to the NAIMOS headquarters and handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service to assist with investigations and facilitate further action.

This operation adds to the growing number of arrests and equipment seizures by NAIMOS since its establishment in March 2025.

Under the leadership of its Director of Operations, the Secretariat, serving as the sole coordinating authority for all anti-illegal mining efforts, has been conducting targeted, intelligence-led raids as part of the government’s crackdown on illegal mining.

NAIMOS says it will continue its operations in the Amenfi and Wassa areas in line with its commitment to curb galamsey, restore polluted water bodies, and reclaim lands devastated by illegal mining.