The government's Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal mining has made a major arrest involving nine Chinese nationals mining in one of the forest reserves at Ankwaso in the Western region.
Fifty-nine sacks of gold deposit material rocks, two Toyota Hilux pick ups, one pump action gun, a side arm with some quality of AA cartridges and a Brazer bar with 13 rounds of ammunitions were confiscated during the operation.
All nine suspects have been sent to the Obuasi Central Police Station for further action.
They were Zhu Shuai, 25, Liu Huzhen, 41, Pen Yugno, 52, Gao Dawei, 45, Dong Tse Sheng, 30, Baian Ping, 48, Lu Gaag Teng, 50, Wei Qi Fu, 30, and Mark Manhong hao, 42.
The head of the monitoring team of the committee, Staff Sgt. Francis Assibi Abu told Graphic Online after the operation that the Chinese claimed to have secured all the relevant documents from the authorities and had not flouted any law.
However, on inspection of the said document, nothing in it's suggested they had been licensed to mine.
The document which contradicts their earlier statement is even said to be in doubt.
They managed through dubious means to invade the forest reserves at both Ankwaso and Akotopreso where the items were retrieved.
Mr Abu told Graphic Online, the fight to stamp out illegal mining will be sustained until all the miscreants were completely wiped off.
<<Print>>