A Koforidua Circuit Court, in the Eastern Regional capital, has sentenced three paddies to five years imprisonment each with hard labor.
The convicts; Alhassan Abass, 28, Ibrahim Mohammed, 45, and Munkaila Djebo, 38, were engaging in illegal mining at Tentenku No.8 near Kofi Pare in the Ayensuano District.
They were apprehended by personnel of Operation Vanguard stationed at New Abirem.
The convicts were charged for conspiracy to commit crime and mining without license contrary to Section 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act 2015.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The first accused, Abass Alhassan claimed he was an excavator mechanic hired to repair a broken down excavator.
The third accused, Munkaila Djebo also argued, he was a trader who had gone to the site to sell shoes.
But after three years of trial, the prosecutor, a state Attorney, Cyril Keteku proved beyond reasonable doubt that they were mining illegally on one and half acre land.
The State Attorney, Cyril Keteku presenting the case to the court said on November 26, 2018, at about 4pm while the Operation Vanguard team were on their normal patrol duty in Anum Apapam and its environs, they chanced on these persons mining illegally on one a half-acre land at Tentenku No.8.
According to the State Attorney, the convicts attempted to escape but were arrested and handed over to the Coaltar Police for investigations.
He said the scene was visited with the complainants (Operation Vanguard) and it was observed that the Ayensu River had been polluted after excavating one and a half acres of land.
The State Attorney said that one excavator which the convicts were using was immovable after they removed two control boards off it.
The Presiding judge, Mercy Addie Kotei found the three guilty and sentenced each of them to five years imprisonment.
In her judgment, she added that the third convict, Munkaila Djebo, a Nigerien be deported to his country after serving the jail term.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua