The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested one Chinese national and seven Ghanaians during an intelligence-led operation at Oseikokrom in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.
The operation, conducted on Thursday, May 21, 2026, formed part of intensified nationwide efforts by the Secretariat to clamp down on illegal mining activities.
According to NAIMOS, the suspects attempted to flee upon sensing the approach of the task force but were intercepted and arrested.
The task force seized two Toyota Hilux pickups, one excavator, and a pump-action gun from the site. Another excavator found at the site was immobilised after officers detached its monitor and control board because it could not be moved due to an attached tracker.
Several makeshift structures used by the illegal miners as hideouts were also destroyed during the operation.
The arrested Chinese national, identified as Huang Weiye, 38, has been transferred to NAIMOS headquarters and handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service for further action.
The seven Ghanaian suspects were handed over to the Antoakrom Police Station to assist with investigations and prosecution.
Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Colonel Dominic Buah, said the Secretariat would continue intensified operations in illegal mining hotspots across the country to disrupt activities destroying cocoa farms, forest reserves, roads, and water bodies.
