Ashanti Regional anti-galamsey task force seizes third excavator in a week

The Anti-Galamsey Task Force stationed at Manso-Adubia in the Ashanti Region has impounded another excavator in its intensified clampdown on illegal mining, bringing the total to three seizures within a week.

According to a police statement, the operation on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, targeted an illegal mining site at Adobewura, a suburb of Nyinahin in the Atwima Mponua District. 

Led by ASP Bawah Abdul Jalil and backed by 45 officers, the team found an excavator actively working, although the miners themselves had fled before the Task Force arrived.

The heavy equipment was subsequently transported to the Task Force base at Manso-Adubia for safekeeping and further investigation.

The statement noted that illegal miners in the area generally treat Tuesdays as a “rest day”, a pattern the Task Force deliberately exploited to surprise offenders at their sites.

Earlier, on August 22, two excavators were seized at Dwendwenase following intelligence reports of Chinese nationals engaging in illegal mining inside a forest reserve.

The recent operations form part of sustained efforts by security agencies to dismantle illegal mining operations that continue to devastate Ghana’s environment and water bodies. Authorities say investigations are ongoing to identify the owners of the seized equipment and bring them to justice.