NAIMOS arrests Chinese national, 7 Ghanaians in Ashanti Illegal Mining crackdown

NAIMOS arrested one Chinese national and seven Ghanaians during an intelligence-led operation on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at Oseikokrom in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region. The operation targeted an active illegal mining site where suspects reportedly attempted to flee upon noticing the arrival of the task force. Authorities also seized two Toyota Hilux pickups, two excavators and a pump-action gun during the raid.

One excavator was transported to the Secretariat's logistics holding area in Kumasi, while another was immobilised at the site after officers removed its monitor and control board because it could not be moved due to an installed tracker. The task force also destroyed several makeshift structures believed to have served as hideouts for the illegal miners. The arrested suspects included Chinese national Huang Weiye, aged 38, alongside seven Ghanaian workers. Dominic Buah, Director of Operations at NAIMOS, said the Secretariat would continue to intensify what he described as "surgical raids" across galamsey hotspots nationwide. He stated that the operations were helping to disrupt illegal mining networks responsible for destroying cocoa farms, forest reserves and roads, while also polluting major water bodies.

NAIMOS disclosed that the Chinese suspect had been transferred to its headquarters for further investigations and subsequent handover to the Ghana Immigration Service, while the Ghanaian suspects had been handed over to the Antoakrom Police Station to assist with investigations and prosecution.