A/R: NAIMOS Arrests Three Chinese, Four Ghanaians in Galamsey Raid
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has dismantled a multinational galamsey syndicate operating in Ntabanu and Nyameadom, arresting three Chinese nationals and four Ghanaians and seizing four vehicles, an excavator, and a tricycle.
The operation was carried out on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in the Ahafo Ano South West District of the Ashanti Region.
NAIMOS said the sweep began as a routine patrol in the Mankraso operational corridor.
Taskforce operatives intercepted a brown Zonda pickup being driven at high speed from a galamsey site at Ntabanu.
The driver, later identified as a 43-year-old Chinese national, Su Zhoxiang, was attempting to flee after news of the taskforce’s presence spread.
Other miners in the area were seen halting operations and moving excavators into hiding, NAIMOS said.
The taskforce blocked the vehicle and arrested Su Zhoxiang on the spot. At nearby Nyameadom, operatives intercepted a second group of two Chinese nationals and four Ghanaian operators also attempting to escape.
The group was moving in a convoy of three vehicles — a Nissan Navara, a Nissan Oting, and a Toyota Hilux — after abandoning an excavator at an active mining site.
The taskforce blocked the convoy and arrested all six without confrontation.
Those arrested at Nyameadom were Chinese nationals Wei Renguang, 54, and Tan Shishian, 50, and Ghanaians Kumi Richard, 34, Justice Nkrumah, 37, Emmanuel Nyeri, 25, and Francis Mintah, 23.
NAIMOS said the illegal miners had caused “massive devastation” to farmlands and pollution of the River Mankran, a key water source for residents of the Mankranso area.
Seizures
Operatives recovered four vehicles used by the syndicate: the Zonda pickup seized at Ntabanu, which contained GH¢2,750, and the Nissan Navara, Nissan Oting, and Toyota Hilux seized at Nyameadom.
An excavator abandoned at the Nyameadom site and an ‘Aboboyaa’ tricycle were also seized.
Expired non-citizen identification cards were found on all three Chinese suspects. The four Ghanaian suspects have been handed over to the Mankraso District Police Station for investigation and prosecution.
The three Chinese nationals were taken to NAIMOS Headquarters for further investigation and will be handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service for immigration-related action.
The excavator has been moved to the NAIMOS logistics holding area in Kumasi.
NAIMOS said the operation confirms the continued involvement of foreign nationals in financing, equipping, and carrying out galamsey in the Ashanti Region, despite the legal ban on foreign participation in small-scale mining.
“No operator, whether foreign or domestic, will be permitted to plunder the mineral wealth of the nation under any guise,” the Secretariat stated.
It added that taskforce operatives will continue to pursue active enclaves in Ahafo Ano South West District and beyond “until the unlawful trade is decisively stopped.”
Story by Hajara Fuseini
Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/
