Twelve illegal miners were detained in the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Enchi Forest District of the Western North Region by the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response and District Monitoring Teams.
Three Chinese illegal miners and nine Ghanaians were among those arrested on March 11, 2025.
In the Forest Reserve, the crews found two gold detectors and one excavator in Compartments 17 and 63.
The Ghana News Agency received a copy of a statement from the Forestry Commission’s Public Affairs Unit.
Nine Ghanaian suspects were involved in “dig and wash” in Compartment 63 of the Reserve, while the Chinese suspects were illegally mining in Compartment 17 using an excavator machine.
Lengtar, 45; Yangedon, 40; and Cheng Yung, 48, are the Chinese suspects.
Yaw Timothy, 20, Bonye George, 20, Joseph Ayoo, 23, and Tanzon Mark, 20 are the accused from Ghana.
Kofi Salifu, 23, Legosie Francis, 20, Justin Dakora, 20, Bismark Lebesue, 23, and Boye Bedua, 26 make up the remaining group.
The Enchi District Police Command was given the suspects to look into and prosecute further.
According to the statement, plans were on to relocate the excavator from the reserve to the Enchi Municipal Assembly’s grounds for safekeeping.
“The Forestry Commission will not give up its efforts to combat illicit mining and logging in the country’s forest reserves,” stated District Manager Mr. Joseph Appiah Frimpong.
As the Commission would be following them, he added, “I would like to caution the illegal operators to be very mindful of their acts because they could face imprisonment, a fine, or both when found guilty at the law courts.”
In recent years, there have been serious threats on the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve.
On March 9, 2025, the Commission, together with 30 military soldiers, attacked the Reserve and confiscated a pump-action rifle, one bulldozer, and eight excavators in Compartments 17 and 20.
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