Two Chinese nationals have been arrested by a joint anti-illegal mining task force during a dawn operation targeting organised illegal mining (galamsey) activities along the Dankai River corridor at Sanfo Adiam in the Amansie East District.

The operation, conducted between 4:00 am and 7:00 am on Sunday, May 24, 2026, was led by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS). Officials said it was prompted by credible intelligence on ongoing galamsey activities along the river.

The joint team, mobilising from the Manso Adubia operational base in the pre-dawn hours, used darkness and the element of surprise to intercept miners before they could abandon the site.

When operatives arrived, they found several individuals actively engaged in illegal mining along the river. However, a number of Ghanaian operators spotted at a distance fled into nearby bushes upon seeing the task force — one of them visibly armed with a pump-action firearm.

Two Chinese nationals who attempted to flee were chased down and arrested. They have been identified as Lu Honggeng, 53, and Nong Zisun, 41. The two men have since been transported to the NAIMOS Secretariat in Accra for further investigation and onward handover to the Ghana Immigration Service.

Authorities described the environmental destruction at the site as alarming. Illegal miners had blocked and diverted portions of the Dankai River into an artificial dam to facilitate their operations — a deliberate reconfiguration that NAIMOS said amounted to “a profound assault on the hydrological integrity of the river and on the rights of downstream communities that depend on its waters.”

Officials also flagged the growing security risks at illegal mining sites, citing the armed suspect as evidence that such operations are becoming increasingly dangerous. “The presence of a pump-action firearm in the hands of one of the fleeing operators further reaffirms the hardening security profile of illegal mining sites,” NAIMOS said.

The Secretariat confirmed that the illegal damming and diversion of the Dankai River had been disrupted, and assured the public that sustained operations would continue in the Amansie East enclave and other affected areas until degraded water bodies are restored. It also warned illegal miners to desist from activities destroying forests and polluting rivers across the country.

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