12 suspects in illegal mining arrested in Ghana forest reserve
According to MyJoyOnline, Ghana’s Forestry Commission arrested 12 people suspected of illegal mining in the South Formangso Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region. During the operation on September 13, 2026, the commission also seized three excavators and six water pumps.
Six Chanfang machines found at the site were destroyed. The detainees were handed over to Juaso police for further investigation.
Operation in the reserve
Staff from the Forestry Commission’s Ashanti regional office and the Juaso district office detected the presence of suspected illegal miners in the reserve and involved the commission’s rapid response team.
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Juaso Forest District Manager Isaac Boamah Amankwah said the people were using heavy machinery and posed a threat to forestry workers. According to him, after a field officer reported an incursion into the forest near the Kajiebi-Romanuso community, officials arrived at the site and found three excavators.
Damage to the area
The excavators were transported to the Forestry Commission base in Asankare. Amankwah noted that pits dug during the work had not been filled in, making patrols of the area more difficult. He estimated the damaged area at two hectares.
The Forestry Commission said this was not the first incursion by illegal miners into the South Formangso Forest Reserve. Last year, temporary structures and equipment were destroyed there during a similar operation. Later, according to the commission, the miners repaired an old access road to bring Chanfang machines and excavators into the reserve. The agency intensified patrols and monitoring of the area.
