The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested three Chinese nationals allegedly involved in illegal mining activities on the River Tano in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region.
The arrests were made on Thursday, May 14, 2026, during a riverine operation conducted by NAIMOS in collaboration with the Blue Water Guards as part of efforts to clamp down on illegal mining activities along the river.
According to NAIMOS, the operation began at about 3:00 a.m. and lasted until 3:30 p.m., covering several communities along the banks of the Tano River. While some previously monitored areas remained free from illegal mining, the task force encountered active illegal miners at Oforikrom using changfan machines mounted on floating platforms to mine directly in the river.
Upon sighting the task force, several miners fled the scene. However, a thorough search led to the arrest of three Chinese nationals who were allegedly supervising the illegal mining operations. They were identified as:
Deng Jun, 37
Deng Bi Hua, 50
Deng Bi Qiang, 32
The suspects were transported to the NAIMOS Secretariat and later handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service Enforcement Unit in Accra for further investigations.
Officials said the illegal mining activities had severely polluted the Tano River and destroyed large portions of farmland in the area. They also noted that the operations had significantly reduced the depth of the river.
During the operation, the task force seized:
One pump-action gun
Twelve cartridges
One Toyota Hilux pickup truck with registration number GS-5288-22
Additionally, more than 20 changfan machines mounted on floating platforms, along with several pipelines and makeshift structures at the site, were destroyed in line with NAIMOS operational directives.
NAIMOS reiterated its commitment to eliminating illegal mining activities along Ghana’s waterways and warned illegal miners to join the government’s responsible cooperative mining programme under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources or risk losing their equipment.
