Operation Vanguard arrests 17 illegal miners in Nzema East

Seventeen (17) suspected illegal miners have been arrested by the Operation Vanguard team in the Western Region.

The arrest took place on Monday after the team in the Region conducted operations at Kukua Village in the Nzema East Municipality.

Six Howo tipper trucks and 2 Honan tipper trucks were seized and taken to the Nzema East Municipal Assembly, whilea the suspects have been handed over to the Salman police for further investigations.

Three water pumping machines, 4 car batteries, 2 excavator monitors and 2 cat fuse assembles were also seized.

The team destroyed 3 chanfang machines at a mining site at Asankragua and Samreboi in the Wassa Amenfi West District of the Western Region.

Spokesperson for the team, Captain Nathaniel Asamoah, told Citi News, the suspects have been handed over to the Salman police for further investigations.

“We also confiscated some tipper trucks which have been sent to the Nzema East Municipal assembly for now, and the 17 persons arrested have been sent to Salman for further investigation, he added.

The Operation Vanguard team were said to have also conducted patrols to Asamama and Kwabeng in the Atiwa District of the Eastern Region.

Items they seized included 2 water pumping machines, 15 Shovels, 5 pick axes and 4 head pans. Items destroyed included; 11 washing carpets, 6 water hoses, 4 washing platforms, 3 washing basins and 2 washing sieves.

The government set up the Operation Vanguard to combat illegal small-scale mining also known as galamsey in the country in 2017.

Although the team experienced some setbacks few months after it was formed, it has so far arrested close to 2,000 illegal miners.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citinewsroom.com/Ghana

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