Ten people, including two police officers, were arrested by the Forestry Commission’s rapid response unit in Juaboso district in the North West region.
Among them were identified as Meng Shi Yu, 30, Wen Yong Chen, 30, Wen Fu Lin, 58, and Li Ping, 60. Four Chinese people and their four Ghanaian collaborators: Edward Owusu (25 years old), Kwesi Frank (42 years old), Abdu Dramani (41 years old), and Joe Nabri. , 27 years old.
Two police officers believed to have been protecting them, Sergeant Yahaya Andrews and Corporal Azantiloh, were also arrested at the mine in the forest reserve.
During interrogation, Sergeant Yahaya Andrews told his team that Chief Inspector Adusei Negga had ordered them to patrol the Kokosua Forest Reserve near Asempanye, where they were stationed.
A joint operation carried out by the Rapid Response Force and Juaboso District Forest Management Office on Tuesday, December 12, also resulted in the burning of 10 excavators used by the miners.
The Krokosua Forest Reserve has recently been under siege by illegal miners, and much of it has already been destroyed.
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![](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/escavators-1.jpg)
The arrests follow a recent onslaught by the Forestry Commission to stamp out widespread mining in forest reserves across the country.
On Wednesday, November 29, 2023, the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Unit carried out a similar operation in the Anwiaso East Forest Reserve in Manse near Diaso in the Bibiani Forest District in the North West Region.
![](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Juaboso-Forest-Reserve.jpg)
![](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Juaboso-Forest-Reserve.jpg)
The aim was to wipe out illegal miners who were encroaching on protected areas with heavy machinery, destroying forest cover and polluting water bodies.
Ten illegal miners were arrested in the operation.
The team destroyed two excavators and two large power plants found at the illegal mining site.
![](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mining-2.jpg)
![](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mining-2.jpg)
The suspect was handed over to Dankwa police.
The Rapid Response Unit Coordinator at the Forestry Commission Headquarters, Mr Samuel Dalcoah-Conor, issued a warning to individuals mining in forest reserves to desist from such criminal activities.
βThe troops are ready to continue their fight to save our forests and water bodies,β he said.
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![](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mining-3.jpg)
The Director General of the Forestry Commission’s Forest Services Division told Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor: βThe fight against illegal mining within forest reserves continues unabated. Effectively addressing this existential crisis requires the cooperation of all parties, including the military, police, judiciary, media and civil society. We need your help. This war must be won.β
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