A total of twenty-nine individuals, including foreign nationals have been remanded into police custody by an Accra High Court for their alleged involvement in illegal mining activities, water pollution, and unlawful possession of firearms at Samreboi in the Western Region.
Presided over by Justice Kizita Naa Koowa Quarshie, the court heard multiple charges brought against the accused persons, including undertaking mining operations without a licence, pollution of water bodies, and possession of firearms without lawful authority. The offences are in contravention of the Minerals and Mining Act, the Water Resources Commission Act, and the Arms and Ammunition Act.
Illegal Mining Charges
Twenty-one accused persons—including miners, farmers, drivers, students, and artisans—were arraigned for undertaking mining operations without a licence on April 17, 2025. They include Michael Gyedu Ayisi, Alhassan Mohammed, Solomon Obour, Kwesi Nkansah, Abubakari Imrana alias 7, Kwame Ofori, James Opoku, John Osei, Kwasi Asare, Francis Asaah alias Donzy, Ernest Kankam, Derrick Eshun, Derrick Amoako, Henry Osei, Kingsley Larbi, Ibrahim Mohammed, Aikins Adomah, Asante Joseph, Michael Mintah, Ernest Obeng, and Justice Owusu.
In a separate but related charge, eight foreign nationals—identified as Wei Shi Liu, Huang Hai En, Zhang Yu Yi, Cheng Shao Mi, Li Dao Xi, Wei Zhu Xian, Wei Shi Yu, and Huang Wei Dong—were also charged with mining without a licence under Section 99(3) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
Possession of Firearms
Michael Gyedu Ayisi was further charged with possession of three pump action guns and 310 live BB rounds of ammunition without lawful authority. During his arrest, police also retrieved GHC 157,000 and five sachets containing yellow substances suspected to be gold nuggets.
Another accused person, James Opoku, was also found in possession of a pump action gun. Additional weapons, including a single barrel gun, another pump action gun, four machetes, and two truncheons were recovered from the mining site.
Water Pollution
All 29 accused persons face a final charge of polluting the Tano River without approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to prosecutors, the accused were caught using excavators and “changfang” machines to wash dug-out sand directly into the river, visibly contaminating the water body beyond EPA’s prescribed limits.
Prosecution’s Brief
According to the Senior State Attorney, Nana Ama A. Prempeh, the complainants in the case are police officers drawn from the National Police Headquarters in Accra. These officers were specially deployed by the Inspector General of Police as part of a strategic national assignment to combat illegal mining on Ghana’s critical river bodies, notably the Tano and Subiri rivers.
On April 17, 2025, during a dawn operation near Samreboi, the Police team discovered an extensive illegal mining site where 29 individuals—comprising Ghanaian nationals and eight foreign suspects believed to be Chinese—were found busily engaged in active mining activities. The team met the accused persons operating heavy-duty mining equipment, including excavators and Changfang machines, directly on the banks of the Tano River. The illegal operation involved washing dug-out sand into the river, a practice that has long been associated with serious water pollution and environmental degradation in affected communities.
The police moved in swiftly to arrest the suspects. Among those apprehended was Michael Gyedu Ayisi, who was found in possession of three pump action guns, 310 rounds of live BB ammunition, a black bag containing GHC 157,000, and five sachets suspected to contain gold nuggets. These items were immediately retrieved, sealed, and kept as evidence for prosecution.
In a subsequent arrest, James Opoku, another member of the group, was found with a pump action gun in his possession. Additionally, a search of the mining site uncovered one single barrel gun, another pump action gun, four machetes, and two truncheons believed to have been abandoned by other illegal miners who fled upon seeing the police team.
Preliminary investigations have revealed the specific roles of the foreign nationals at the site. Wei Shi Liu, Huang Hai En, Zhang Yu Yi, Cheng Shao Mi, Li Dao Xi, Wei Zhu Xian, Wei Shi Yu, and Huang Wei Dong were identified as operators and mechanics responsible for running and maintaining the excavators and related machinery used in the illegal mining operation.
Environmental experts believe the unregulated activities of the suspects have significantly compromised the water quality of the Tano River, which serves as a major source of water for surrounding communities. No approval was reportedly obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency, thus violating key provisions of Ghana’s environmental laws.
The suspects have since been charged with multiple offences, including undertaking mining without a licence, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and polluting water bodies in contravention of the Minerals and Mining Act (Act 703), the Arms and Ammunition Act (NRCD 9), and the Water Resources Commission Act (Act 522).
All 29 accused persons have been arraigned before the Accra High Court and remanded into police custody while investigations continue.
