In a significant development in the ongoing national fight against illegal mining (galamsey), the Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force under the Inspector General of Police has impounded three excavators believed to have been used for illicit mining activities in the Dwendwenase Forest Reserve.
The operation, conducted on Saturday, August 23, 2025, was led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Bawah Abdul Jalil and involved a 37-member team from the Anti-Galamsey Unit based at Manso Adubia.
The team, traveling in six service vehicles, moved into the area following actionable intelligence reports about illegal mining operations by foreign nationals, particularly Chinese miners, within the protected forest reserve.
According to ASP Jalil, upon arrival at the scene in Dwendwenase, the suspects fled when they detected the presence of the task force, abandoning two excavators.
While one of the machines was successfully started and loaded onto a low-bed carrier, the other was found to be faulty and immobile, complicating efforts to relocate it immediately.
Shortly after securing the first machine, the team received fresh intelligence about a third excavator hidden in a nearby cocoa farm at a village called Atta Ne Atta, near Dwendwenase.
Acting swiftly, the team proceeded to the location and discovered the excavator, which had been tampered with – critical components had been removed to prevent its operation. Nevertheless, with the support of the technical unit, the excavator was restarted and transported safely.
All recovered equipment has since been moved to the task force’s base at Patase for safekeeping and further investigation.
This latest operation underscores the security agencies’ growing efforts to curb illegal mining, especially within forest reserves, which are under increasing threat from environmentally destructive mining activities.
The Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force reiterated its commitment to protecting Ghana’s natural resources and warned individuals and groups involved in illegal mining to desist or face the full rigors of the law.
