58 Illegal Miners Grabbed

58 suspected illegal miners operating within the Atiwa and Amansie Central Districts in the Eastern and Western Regions have been arrested.

The team from Operation Vanguard [East] in the early hours of Monday conducted operations at three separate locations within the general area of Akurofufu which led to the arrest.

The Operation Vanguard team [East] arrested 32 suspects; 20 foreigners, 5 Nigeriens, 15 Burkinabes together with 12 Ghanaians.

The suspects are currently in the custody of the Anyinam, Osino and Kwabeng District Police Stations.

The foreign nationals will be handed over to the Immigration Service for further action to be taken.

The other 26 suspected illegal miners [by Operation Vanguard, Ashanti] were apprehended within the general area of Aketekyieso in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region.

Items confiscated and processed as evidence from them include 2 Kia trucks, 2 saloon cars, 8 motorcycles and 135 assorted sacks of stones suspected to be containing gold ore.

The suspects are currently in the custody of the Obuasi Central Police Station pending further investigations.

President Akufo Addo last year commended the operations for its successes so far.

Operation Vanguard was launched in July 2017 to combat the activities of illegal miners

President Akufo-Addo has reiterated government's commitment to equipping the joint Police and Military task-force to check activities of illegal mining in the country.

In May 2018 the Minister of the Interior, Ambrose Dery, also called on all state institutions and other security agencies to complement the efforts of the government's anti-galamsey task force, Operation Vanguard to help fight recalcitrant illegal miners.

But Pressure is mounting on the government to dissolve its Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, following what has largely been considered as a lost fight against illegal mining popularly referred to as 'galamsey'.

---Citinewsroom