By Ashiadey Dotse Ghana News
By: Ashiadey Dotse
A joint team from the Nzema East Blue Water Guards and the Axim Police Command has stopped illegal mining activities commonly known as galamsey near the Draw River Forest Reserve.
The team acted quickly after receiving a tip-off from journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, who reported that illegal miners were damaging the environment with their operations.
The team鈥檚 swift action led to the arrest of 15 people. Some suspects, however, managed to escape when they saw the police approaching.
During the raid, authorities destroyed 11 changfang machines and 15 water pumping machines. Other tools such as blankets, rubber basins, and shovels were also destroyed. Ten more pumping machines, gallons of petrol and diesel, and a hunting gun were seized and taken to the police station.
In a separate but similar operation in Wassa Amenfi East, the Blue Water Guards destroyed more illegal mining equipment along the Ankobra River. Though no suspects were arrested in this raid, officers found and destroyed four pumping machines, one changfang, and three washing boards.
Police in both Axim and Wassa Amenfi East are still searching for the miners who fled.
Source link