A total of 30 persons have been arrested for engaging in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, in the Bonsa River Forest, in the Aboso North Range of the Western Region, in two separate swoops.
Of the number, 19 of them were arrested on Friday, while the others, made up of 10 males and a female, were grabbed on June 12, 2024.
The Rapid Response Team and the Staff of the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission (FC) apprehended the suspects as part of a clamp down on galamsey.
The Manager, Corporate Affairs and Media Relations at the Forestry Commission (FC), Ms Joyce Ofori Kwafo, who disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times, yesterday, said the suspects have been handed over to the Takwa Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.
She said the 11 others had been remanded in prison custody and dockets on the case sent to the Attorney General’s Department for advice.
Ms Kwafo stated that the illegal miners, operated 24 hours at the reserve, which was evidenced by the discovery of tent, food, bags of sachet water, water-pumping machines, shovels, and other handheld tools, at the site.
She said currently, there were 21 illegal mining cases pending in court in the region, involving more than 111 suspects, who were arrested by officials of the FC.
“The cases were at various stages of prosecution at the Sekondi High Court 2 and Takoradi Circuit Court,” Ms Kwafo said, and appealed to the judiciary to expedite action on such cases.
In a related development, Forestry Service Division in the Bekwai District of the Ashanti Region, and members of the RRT have immobilised two excavators and one motorbike, belonging to illegal miners, operating in the Apamprama Forest Reserve, in the region.
Ms Kwafo cautioned the public to desist from illegal mining in forest reserves, promising that the FC would not rest on their oars until galamseyers were flushed from the country’s reserves.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI