The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has shut down a major illegal mining operation destroying farmlands and water bodies at Ahwiren in the Bekwai Municipality.
A dawn raid by the Manso-Adubia taskforce on 17 July targeted a 20-acre site situated along the crucial headwaters of the Subin River.
Acting on a tip-off, operatives caught the illegal miners in the act, seizing firearms and decommissioning heavy machinery.
The enforcement team dismantled six excavators by stripping away vital control boards and monitors, rendering them useless.
Additionally, four pumping machines used to wash gold were set ablaze on-site. Two pump-action shotguns and 19 rounds of live ammunition were also recovered during the sweep.
The environmental damage was stark. The operators had blocked and diverted the natural course of the Subin River to fuel their illicit enterprise, which sat dangerously close to the main Ahwiren-Bekwai road.
Investigations revealed the operators had applied for a licence under the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Environmental Development Scheme but had no legal authority to clear the land.
Furthermore, the actual mining site completely deviated from the coordinates submitted in their paperwork.
Despite setting up local offices and denying wrongdoing, the group faces heavy scrutiny as authorities clamp down on the devastation of the region’s natural resources.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana