Four Chinese nationals have been arrested for engaging in illegal mining along the Subin and Jimi rivers in Atatam, located in the Adansi-Asokwa District of the Ashanti Region.
The joint operation, led by the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF) in collaboration with the Ashanti South Regional Police Command, was headed by Regional Operations Commander ASP Enoch Boateng.
The suspects — Li Quan, 44; Lu Jianzheng, 36; Li Xuyu, 47; and Su Shanxing, 63 — were reportedly mining with heavy machinery in violation of Ghana’s laws prohibiting foreign nationals from small-scale mining.
Their operations caused severe environmental destruction, including the pollution of vital water bodies and deforestation estimated at nearly ten football fields.
Police seized 11 excavators during the raid, four of which were rendered immobile on-site while seven were transported to the Regional CID in Bekwai.
