Fourteen individuals arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities at Akyem Muoso in the Eastern Region have been remanded into prison custody, according to a statement issued by the Ghana Police Service on May 19, 2025.
The suspects were apprehended on May 15 by officers from the Eastern South Regional Police Command during a targeted operation aimed at curbing illegal mining in the area.
The group appeared before Koforidua Circuit Court B on May 16, where they were each granted bail in the sum of GHC350,000.00, with two sureties, one of whom must justify the bail with movable property.
During the arrest, police retrieved a pump-action gun from one of the suspects, identified as Zuberu Nuhoho, who was unable to produce documentation for the weapon.
Authorities also confiscated two excavator control boards from the mining site.
The statement did not clarify whether any suspects had met the bail conditions at the time of release.
Meanwhile, investigations continue as the police intensify efforts to dismantle illegal mining networks that have contributed to widespread environmental degradation in the region.
The operation forms part of a broader crackdown by law enforcement agencies on illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey, which remains a major concern for environmental authorities and local communities.
