The Bekwai Circuit Court has placed three Chinese and seven Ghanaian illegal miners in custody. The arrests were made by the Bekwai Forest District of the Forest Services Division within the Forestry Commission, targeting seven Ghanaians and three Chinese individuals engaged in illegal mining activities within the Oda River Forest Reserve.
This three-day operation was conducted by the district as part of the ongoing nationwide initiative by the Forestry Commission to combat illegal mining within Forest Reserves. The operation involved personnel from the Bekwai Forest District and Rapid Response Teams from four other forest districts.
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During the operation, two Toyota Hilux pickups with registration numbers 1265 A and GT 7366-12, along with other equipment used by the illegal miners, were confiscated. Additionally, ten excavators, nineteen fuel tanks, nine power plants, two ‘chanfang’ machines, four motorbikes, five water pumping machines, and seventeen wooden structures were immobilized.
Seven of the suspects, namely Michael Korsah, Basit Shizu, Amadu Musah, Prince Boakye, Amedodzi Kofi, Akwasi Adu, and Shi Tiachao, who were apprehended on December 6, were presented before the Bekwai Circuit Court on December 7. The remaining three, Bernard Sarkodie, Li Tauhai, and Rao Shifa, arrested on December 7, appeared in court on December 8.
