Authorities have apprehended 26 individuals following an intelligence-led operation targeting illegal mining activities within a forest reserve near Samreboi in the Western Region.

The suspects, including eight Chinese nationals and eighteen Ghanaians, were rounded up by officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate, who coordinated the raid in partnership with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the National Operations Directorate (NOD), and the Formed Police Unit (FPU).

The enforcement forms part of a renewed national crackdown on galamsey, an illegal mining practice that has wreaked havoc on Ghana’s forests and water bodies for years.

According to police sources, the illicit mining activities were being carried out in a concession reportedly linked to Akonta Mining Company—associated with Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi. His name has frequently surfaced in national conversations about illegal mining operations.

The scale of environmental destruction was immediately visible. Once dense and flourishing, the forest reserve now bears the marks of severe degradation—trees uprooted, land excavated, and water bodies tainted with sludge.

Police officers seized a cache of mining and security equipment during the raid. Among the items retrieved were six pump-action guns loaded with over 150 rounds of 3AA cartridges, six water pumping machines, three excavators, three payloaders, six machetes, two Toyota pickup trucks, and a Toyota RAV4.

All 26 suspects are currently in custody and will be processed for court appearances in the coming days.

The operation is part of a broader effort led by the Police administration under the leadership of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno. It reaffirms the state’s resolve to dismantle illegal mining networks and rehabilitate Ghana’s endangered ecosystems.