Over 26 Illegal Miners Arrested At Patase

On Monday, the Operation Halt II team apprehended 26 suspects at Patase, Wassa Dunkwa, in the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region, who were operating at an illicit mining site, commonly known as galamsey, and engaging in other poor environmental practices.

The suspects, including four Togolese, were engaged in illegal mining, sand winning, and lumbering in defiance of the government's prohibition on these activities, which continued to devastate the environment and water bodies, including the River Tano.

The Ghana Armed Forces deployed soldiers of all ranks to initiate the second phase of 'Operation Halt', which aims to rid the country's water bodies of illicit miners. It aims to eliminate all logistics and individuals involved in illicit mining on waterways.

The arrest of the 26 suspects followed an order by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. George Mireku Duker, when he was accompanied by journalists and a team of "Operation HaltII" personnel aboard a Ghana Airforce aircraft to conduct an aerial assessment of "Operation Halt II" at WassaDunkwa.

The deputy minister also requested that KwasiAddae provide a permit allowing him to participate in logging in Patase.

"Deliver these suspects to the closest police station for prosecution.The law will be enforced to resolve the issue." Mr. Duke commanded.

The operation commanded by the General Officer Commanding, Southern Command, Brigadier General Michael KwakuAmoahAyisi and theSecond-in-Command, Operation Halt 11, Lieutenant Colonel Harrison Dadzie, revealed a large expanse of illegal mining destruction at WassaDunkwa.

Illegal miners had dug craters as large as three football fields with pools of stagnant water, resulting in the complete devastation of the forest cover, as seen from above.

The galamseyers had also diverted the tributaries of the River Tanoon, upon which they mounted Chan Fan machinery and generators in order to mine gold ore.

Long and labyrinthine river water, which appeared filthy, dismal, brown, and polluted, crisscrossed shacks constructed along the riverbanks.

In addition, trees in the lush, virgin forest had been cut down to make way for illicit gold mining, which posed a threat to farmers.

As soon as the crew disembarked, they encountered a tipper truck loaded with sand at WassaDunkwa, and Mr. Duker ordered that the sand be unloaded.

He criticized the uncontrolled sand mining at illegal mining sites such as the Galamsey site, where deep holes had been dug to exacerbate the situation, and he questioned whether the perpetrators would consume the water they had contaminated.

Mr. Duker said to the suspects, "Drink the water, you're terrified now. You must cease this improper conduct. You are destroying this magnificent nation, the pristine environment, and the river fish. Why do you conquer sand and destroy bodies of water? If our ancestors had done these things, we never would have met these valuable national assets."

Lt. Col. Dadzie observed that the suspects, who were unable to identify the owner of the WassaDunkwa site, were the same individuals who win sand and cut down trees in the region, and he pondered how four Togolese had made their way to Ghana.

Meanwhile, according to Brigadier General Amoah-Ayisihas, eleven offenders have been prosecuted and imprisoned.