The Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force established by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has impounded two excavators in the Ashanti Region as part of ongoing operations against illegal mining.
Briefing the media, leader of the task force, ASP Bawah Abdul Jalil, explained that his 37-member team, acting on credible intelligence, conducted an operation at Dwendwenase, a community near Juaso in the Asante Akim South Municipality on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Using six service vehicles, the officers moved into portions of the Dwendwenase Forest Reserve, where illegal mining activities involving foreign nationals, reportedly Chinese, were said to be ongoing.
The suspects abandoned the site upon the team’s arrival, leaving behind two excavators. One of the machines was recovered and transported onto a low-bed carrier, while the other, which was faulty, could not be moved.
On their return to base at Patase, the task force received further intelligence of another excavator concealed in a cocoa farm at Atta Ne Atta, a nearby village. The machine had been deliberately disabled by its operator to prevent seizure, but officers managed to restart and secure it.
The two excavators are currently being kept at the Patase base pending further investigation and possible prosecution.
ASP Jalil appealed to the public, particularly opinion leaders and residents of mining communities, to support the national campaign against illegal mining, which continues to endanger Ghana’s environment and water bodies.
