The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAiMOS) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illegal mining, recording a significant breakthrough following an intelligence-led operation at Oseikokrom in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.

The operation, carried out on Thursday, 21 May 2026, resulted in the arrest of one Chinese national and seven Ghanaian suspects engaged in illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey.

According to NAIMOS, the carefully coordinated raid was executed based on credible intelligence. Upon arrival at the site, the suspects attempted to flee but were swiftly intercepted and apprehended by the task force.

Authorities identified the suspects as Huang Weiye, 38, a Chinese national, alongside Augustine Manu, 23; Kwame Ntoadro, 41; Moses Alou, 30; Alex Lenley, 32; Yaw Owusu, 26; Shaibu Wuni, 26; and Patrick Bampoa, 22.

During the operation, the task force seized two Toyota Hilux pickup vehicles with registration numbers GX 555-24 and CN 5168-26. A further assessment of the site uncovered two excavators actively being used for illegal mining.

One excavator was successfully retrieved and transported to the NAiMOS logistics holding facility in Kumasi, while the second was immobilized on-site after its monitor and control board were removed due to tracking complications.

In addition, a pump-action gun was confiscated from the site, raising concerns about the level of security and resistance associated with illegal mining operations. Several makeshift structures used as hideouts by the miners were also destroyed.

The Chinese suspect has since been transferred to the NAiMOS headquarters for further investigations and will be handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service for the necessary legal processes.

The Ghanaian suspects have been handed over to the Antoakrom Police Station to assist with ongoing investigations and subsequent prosecution.

Director of Operations at NAiMOS, Colonel Dominic Buah, reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to sustaining pressure on illegal mining networks across the country.

He noted that such targeted operations are part of broader efforts to dismantle entrenched galamsey activities.

He further emphasized that illegal mining continues to pose a serious threat to the environment, citing the destruction of cocoa farms, forest reserves, and road infrastructure, as well as the severe pollution of water bodies.

NAiMOS has assured the public that intensified operations will continue across all identified galamsey hotspots as part of efforts to safeguard Ghana’s natural resources.