Ten individuals, including two police officers, were apprehended by the Rapid Response Unit of the Forestry Commission in the Juaboso District of the Western North Region.
Among those arrested were four Chinese nationals (Men Shi Yu, Wen Yong Cheng, Wen Fu Lin, and Lee Pin), four Ghanaians (Edward Owusu, Kwesi Frank, Abudu Dramani, and Joe Naburi), and the police officers, Detective Sergeant Yahaya Andrews and Lance Corporal Azantillow.
The arrests took place at a mining site within the forest reserve, and during questioning, Detective Sergeant Yahaya Andrews claimed that Chief Inspector Adusei Negga had instructed them to patrol the Kokosua Forest Reserve near Asempaneye, where they were stationed.
The joint operation, conducted on December 12, involved the Rapid Response Unit and the District Forest Management of Juaboso. As part of the operation, 10 excavators used by the miners were burned. The Krokosua Forest Reserve has been facing challenges from illegal miners, leading to significant damage.
This arrest follows recent efforts by the Forestry Commission to combat illegal mining within forest reserves across the country.
On November 29, 2023, the Rapid Response Unit of the Forestry Commission carried out a similar operation in the Anwiaso East Forest Reserve, located at Manse near Diaso in the Bibiani Forest District in the Western North Region. The operation aimed to expel illegal miners who had infiltrated the reserve with heavy machinery, causing damage to the forest cover and contaminating water bodies.
Ten individuals engaged in illegal mining were apprehended during this operation. The team also demolished two excavators and two heavy-duty electrical plants discovered at the illegal mining site. The suspects were subsequently handed over to the Dunkwa Police.
Samuel Darko-Akonor, the Coordinator of the Rapid Response Unit at the Forestry Commission Headquarters, issued a stern warning to individuals involved in mining activities within forest reserves, urging them to cease such unlawful practices.