The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illegal mining, recording significant successes in two coordinated missions conducted on Tuesday, in the Western North and Ashanti Regions.

In the Western North Region, the NAIMOS Task Force intercepted a group of armed men operating deep within the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Aowin District.

Several suspects, including a Chinese national believed to be the excavator operator, were arrested.

A search of the area led to the seizure of four pump-action guns, twenty-two cartridges, and three buckets containing a black substance suspected to be mining material.

The arrest of the armed group marks a breakthrough in NAIMOS’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the growing network of armed mining syndicates operating within Ghana’s protected forest reserves.

Later that day, the task force advanced its operations to the Boin River Forest Reserve in the Enchi District as part of the same coordinated mission.

In a related development, the NAIMOS Task Force extended its anti-galamsey operations to the Ashanti Region, targeting hotspots in the Asante Akim and Juaso districts.

Acting on credible intelligence, the team moved into the Asuboa Mponua area of Asante Akim, where six excavators were discovered at various sites.

Two were found unserviceable, while the remaining four were immobilised. Several items, including a heavy-duty water pumping machine, numerous hoses, empty fuel containers, and a wooden structure, were set ablaze. A generator set was also seized.

The operation continued at the Praakwa Forest Reserve in the Juaso District, where illegal mining activities were taking place along the Pra River.

The task force destroyed six mining boats, several washing platforms, and other mining equipment, all of which were set ablaze. About eight illegal miners were arrested during the operation.

NAIMOS has reiterated its commitment to sustaining these nationwide operations to protect Ghana’s forest reserves, water bodies, and farmlands from further environmental degradation caused by illegal mining.