Sixteen suspects who were arrested during an anti-illegal mining operation at Essuminya and Apraprama Forest Reserves in the Ashanti Region on June 19 are set to be arraigned.

The joint operation involved personnel drawn from the National Police Headquarters and the Manso Adubia District. The team embarked on the operation to clamp down on illegal mining activities within the forest reserves.

During the operation, sixteen suspects were arrested while actively engaging in illegal mining activities.

The suspects include Kwesi Frimpong (52), Samuel Okyere (44), Jackson Nana Boafo (32), Saddick Abubakar (44), Collins Asare (35), Joshua Ofori (25), Emmanuel Akwesi (42), Augustine Mensah (38), Stephen Amoako (25), Vincent Ofori (30).

The others are Andrews Oppong (31), Nyaba Atonkoni (31), Stephen Kwabena Owusu (41), George Badji (28), Dorgumu Fredrick (24), and Cheke Chen (35), a foreign national.

Exhibits retrieved from the site include two pump-action guns, pumping machines, four excavator machine monitors, and eight live BB cartridges.

The police, in a post on June 21, noted that efforts were underway to move the excavators from the forest to the police station.

The suspects are all in police custody assisting investigations.

Also, two coordinated operations conducted on Friday, June 20, at Nikanika and Adeade in the Central Region have led to the arrest of 3 suspects and the seizure of several pieces of mining equipment.

The operations were executed by the Ghana Police Service, through its Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force.

The task force proceeded to a mining site at Nikanika. Although no operators were found at the scene, the team retrieved one (1) single-barrel shotgun loaded with a cartridge and three (3) water pumping machines.

In a related development, the task force extended its operation to Adeade, where three suspects; Prosper Quansah, Chrispin Nartey, and Owusu Gambra, were arrested with an excavator on a lowbed trailer.

One SANY excavator, four unregistered Haojin motorbikes, and one lowbed vehicle with registration number GN 2136-24 were seized from the scene.

The suspects are currently in police custody assisting investigations, while all exhibits have been secured in police custody.

The Police are ensuring the prosecution of individuals arrested for illegal mining activities.

Some 12 accused persons standing trial for engaging in illegal mining activities at Tumetu near Princess Town in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region have been remanded into prison custody.

While 10 of the accused persons were arrested at a palm plantation, two were arrested at the Elluabo Chavene Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (GREL) plantation.

This was due to a coordinated police intelligence-led operation within the Ahanta West Municipality.

The accused persons are; Lord Yankey, Caleb Adu Kwaw, Stephen Agyei, Ebenezer Barnes, Mathew Somagevi, Paa Grant, Bashiru Kaviru, Joseph Borney, Aminu Issah, Kofi Sogah, Albert Normah, Robert Mensah.

Four water pumping machines, one tricycle with registration number M-20-WR 1045, and two motorbikes were retrieved from the sites, according to the police.

All twelve accused persons admitted to the offence during police interrogations.

They were subsequently put before the Takoradi Harbour Area Circuit Court ‘A’, and were remanded into prison custody at Sekondi to reappear on Tuesday, July 8.