The Rapid Response Team (RRT) and Forest Services Division (FSD) staff in the Tarkwa District of the Western Region have apprehended 19 illegal miners within the Bonsa River Forest Reserve.
In a statement from the Corporate Affairs and Media Relations office of the Forestry Commission, the arrests occurred on Friday, June 28, 2024, at Aboso North Range.
This follows an earlier operation on June 12, 2024, where 11 suspects were detained in the same forest reserve.
Equipped with water-pumping machines, shovels, and other handheld tools, the illegal miners had established tents and were operating day and night within the reserve.
The suspects have been handed over to the Tarkwa Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.
During the June 12 operation, 11 suspects, comprising 10 males and one female, were apprehended and subsequently remanded in prison custody. Their cases have been referred to the Attorney General’s Department for legal advice.
The statement also highlighted 21 pending illegal mining cases involving over 111 suspects apprehended by Forestry Commission officials across various forest reserves within the region
. These cases are at different stages of prosecution at Sekondi High Court 2 and Takoradi Circuit Court.
The statement urged the judiciary in the region to expedite action on all forest offense cases and issued a strong warning against illegal mining activities.
Additionally, the statement reported that FSD personnel and RRT members immobilized two excavators and one motorbike in the Apamprama Forest Reserve near Kobro, Bekwai District, Ashanti Region, on Friday, June 28, 2024.
The culprits fled upon the team’s arrival, and no arrests were made.
Illegal operators in the Apamprama Forest Reserve have reportedly shifted to nocturnal operations to evade detection by Commission officials, prompting increased night patrols and intelligence-led operations by staff.
The Forestry Commission personnel in the Bekwai Forest District are committed to combating illegal mining activities to safeguard forest and wildlife resources.
The statement concluded with a stern warning to illegal operators to refrain from entering the Apamprama Forest Reserve and other reserves to prevent further environmental degradation.