The suspects
THE EASTERN Regional Police Command, in collaboration with Operation Vanguard (anti-illegal mining taskforce), has arrested 42 people engaged in ‘galamsey’ in the Kwaebibirem municipality.
The suspects are made up of 29 Ghanaians and 16 foreigners including 13 Nigeriens and one each from Guinea-Bissau, Togo and Mali.
The joint police and Operation Vanguard team swooped on the suspects at Pankese and Apradan where they were busily engaged in illegal mining.
The team seized eight gold detector battery charges, gold detector plate and stick, headphone, two pointed hoes, water pumping machine, two machetes, head pan, eight cell phone chargers and two engines from the illegal miners.
The suspects are currently being screened by the police and the Ghana Immigration Service.
BY Daniel Bampoe