Ninety-nine (99) illegal miners including 61 Chinese, have been arrested by government’s anti-galamsey task-force, Operation Vanguard.
The latest arrest brings to 461 the number of illegal miners arrested so far.
The arrests were made in Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions, the operational areas of the task-force.
The joint military and police task-force was set up in August, to enforce the ban on illegal mining.
Speaking to Citi News, the Public Relations Officer of Operation Vanguard, Major Gariba Adams Pabi, said the task-force had “made 451 arrests including 61 Chinese, one Nigerian, one Togolese, one Burkinabe and the rest are Ghanaians.”
“They were in the three regions, that is the Eastern, Western & Ashanti, and they have been handed over to the police and they are at various stages of prosecution, we are still on course and we working seriously.”
36 prosecutions
Major Pabi added that, 12 more illegal miners have been successfully prosecuted, bringing the total number of illegal miners prosecuted and fined or sentenced to 36.
He assured that there will be no compromise on the part of the task-force.
“Our work is to ensure that illegal mining is stopped, so if we get you at an illegal mine site, we will arrest you, confiscate your items hand them over to the police. The rest is with the police and judiciary who will send you to court and then follow up from there.”
“So as at now, we have 36 who have been prosecuted, and the rest who have been sentenced and given days are at various stages of prosecution. Some have been adjourned. In Wassa Amenfi central, four excavators have been confiscated by the state after the sentences. I know in a short while many more will be sentenced.”
