Two police officers, four Chinese Nationals and four others have been arrested over illegal mining.
The officers are Detective Sergeant Yahaya Andrews and Lance Corporal Azantillow, and the four Chinese Nationals are Men Shi Yu, 30, Wen Yong Cheng, 30, Wen Fu Lin, 58 and Lee Pin, 60.
The rest are Edward Owusu, 25, Kwesi Frank, 42, Abudu Dramani, 41 and Joe Naburi, 27.
They were arrested by the Rapid Response Unit of the Forestry Commission and the District Forest Management in the Juaboso District of the Western North Region.
The joint operation was conducted on Tuesday, December 12.
During the operation, 10 excavators used by the miners were destroyed.
The suspects are in the custody of the Dunkwa Police.
Detective Sergeant Yahaya Andrews claimed that Chief Inspector Adusei Negga had ordered them to patrol the Kokosua Forest Reserve, where the illegal mining was taking place.
The Krokosua Forest Reserve has been under threat from illegal mining activities, leading to significant environmental damage.
The recent arrests and the destruction of mining equipment are part of the Forestry Commission’s efforts to combat illegal mining in forest reserves across the country.
According to Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor, this operation follows a similar one conducted on November 29, 2023, in the Anwiaso East Forest Reserve, where ten illegal miners were arrested, and mining equipment destroyed.
The Coordinator of the Rapid Response Unit at the Forestry Commission Headquarters, Samuel Darko-Akonor, issued a stern warning to individuals engaged in illegal mining, emphasizing the commitment of the unit to protect forests and water bodies.