The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), supported by the Birim Central Municipal Security Council (MUSEC), successfully dismantled a foreign-led illegal mining cell operating along the banks of the Birim River on Friday, January 16, 2026.

The coordinated strike resulted in the arrest of five Chinese nationals, including one woman, who were caught in the act of washing gold-bearing silt directly into the river.

The operation is being hailed as a major win for the government’s 2026 environmental strategy, which has moved toward an intelligence-led command centre approach to policing Ghana’s waterways.

The raid was executed following days of covert surveillance by NAIMOS operatives, who had tracked the suspects’ movement within the Akyem Oda enclave. According to security officials, the team arrived at the site at approximately 1:40 PM, finding the suspects utilising heavy machinery to disrupt the river's flow and contaminate the local water supply.

To ensure the site could not be immediately reoccupied, the security team took the drastic but standard step of immobilising and destroying specialised mining equipment on-site. This included the demolition of "changfans"—improvised floating platforms used for suction mining—and the seizure of high-capacity water pumping machines.

Launched in mid-2025 by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, NAIMOS serves as the operational nerve centre for the nation's fight against galamsey. Unlike previous uncoordinated efforts, NAIMOS integrates personnel from:

• The Ghana Armed Forces (Support Services Command)
• The Ghana Police Service
• National Security & NIB (National Investigations Bureau)

The secretariat’s mandate includes the proactive tracking of earth-moving equipment from the point of entry at Tema Port, ensuring that excavators do not find their way into "Red Zone" forest reserves or water bodies.

The Birim River, a major tributary of the Pra River, has been under immense ecological pressure. Reports from Ghana Water Limited (GWL) indicate that the cost of treating water from the Birim has surged by over 300% due to the high levels of turbidity (muddiness) caused by illegal mining.

The Birim Central Municipal Security Council has warned that the crackdown will not be a nine-day wonder.

By destroying equipment like "changfans" on-site, the state is making the cost of illegal mining prohibitively high for foreign syndicates.

The five suspects have been handed over to the Regional Police Command for further investigation and are expected to face charges under the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995), which carries stiff prison sentences and heavy fines for foreign nationals engaged in illegal mining.