Operatives of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) have dismantled a major foreign-led illegal mining ring operating dangerously close to the Bia River in the Western North Region.
A NAIMOS statement said, the decisive operation, carried out on December 6, 2025, in the Suaman Dadieso District, marks one of the most comprehensive crackdowns yet in the national fight against galamsey.
A 31-member NAIMOS task force stormed the Kwabena Lantey and Suibo zones late Friday morning, working through dense forest cover until nightfall.
Officers quickly uncovered a massive concealed mining site where excavators had been hurriedly hidden and stripped of their control boards an apparent indication that the operators had been tipped off ahead of the raid.
The statement revealed that, the proximity of the mining site to the Bia River raised serious environmental concerns. Officers observed heavy sedimentation and traces of toxic waste, confirming that the illegal activities were already degrading a river relied upon by several communities for domestic use.
The operation took a dramatic turn in an area known locally as Niger, where intelligence emerged from an abandoned mobile phone dropped by a fleeing suspect.
The unlocked device revealed WhatsApp conversations with a contact saved as “Boss Lii,” believed to be coordinating activities of foreign miners.
Acting swiftly on the lead, NAIMOS operatives apprehended nine Chinese nationals, all men, who were subsequently escorted to multiple mining locations to confirm their involvement.
At these sites, officers documented environmental destruction along the riverbank and dismantled makeshift accommodation and processing structures, some of which were later destroyed to prevent reoccupation.
A range of equipment and materials used to sustain the illegal operations were seized, including two excavator filters, a Tecno smartphone, a pumping machine, a mini car washing machine used for mineral washing, a bottle containing mercury, and a motorbike used for movement within the forest.
Later in the evening, a four-member team from the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC), led by senior officer Hannah Arhin, arrived to take custody of scrap metal and heavy equipment remnants. They were escorted to the Suaman Dadieso District Assembly before continuing to Asankragua as part of a national scrap recovery initiative.
As the operation wrapped up, NAIMOS officers transported the nine arrested Chinese nationals to the Secretariat’s headquarters for further investigations.
The task force also briefed the Dadieso Divisional Police Command, which assured them that residences linked to the suspects would be secured pending instructions from their owners.
In a startling revelation, NAIMOS disclosed that an anonymous caller attempted to bribe the operatives with GH¢2.7 million to secure the release of the detained foreigners.
The team rejected the offer outright, reinforcing the integrity and discipline that guided the mission.
Despite long hours and difficult terrain, the Director of Operations maintained real-time oversight, ensuring full compliance with national security protocols and operational mandates.
