Police Clamp Down on Galamsey in Wassa: 23 Arrested, 64 Changfans Seized.
Ghana's police launched a series of targeted operations across galamsey-prone communities in Wassa Akropong, Wassa Dominase, and Asankrangwa, resulting in 23 arrests and the seizure or destruction of 64 changfan machines.
Damian Owusu 
Ghana’s security apparatus has made significant inroads in the Western Region. Between June 20 and 22, police launched a series of targeted operations across galamsey-prone communities in Wassa Akropong, Wassa Dominase, and Asankrangwa, resulting in 23 arrests and the seizure or destruction of 64 changfan machines.
The joint task force, acting on intelligence, stormed various illicit mining sites, including the premises of Obeng Mining Group at Wassa Japa. There, they encountered a fleet of changfans—crudely assembled dredging machines—churning up the riverbed in defiance of mining regulations. These machines were dismantled on site to curb the pollution of water bodies and encroachment on farmlands.
In Wassa Dominase, the security team disrupted operations dangerously close to fuel stations, destroying additional makeshift equipment such as washing boards and water pumps. Meanwhile, in Asankrangwa, illegal miners operating near a One District One Factory (1D1F) project were apprehended and stripped of motorbikes and water-pumping machines used to facilitate unregulated excavation.
According to law enforcement sources, all suspects are currently in custody and assisting with investigations. The police have stressed that the raids were part of a broader intelligence-led strategy to dismantle galamsey networks operating with impunity, especially those threatening vital infrastructure and ecosystems.
This operation comes amid intensifying pressure on authorities to address the environmental and socioeconomic toll of illegal mining. Galamsey continues to devastate Ghana’s river systems, reduce arable land, and pose serious health risks to rural communities. The government’s ongoing crackdown seeks not only to apprehend offenders but also to deter future defiance of the law.
As the legal proceedings begin, environmental advocates and local leaders are calling for sustained enforcement, community sensitization, and alternative livelihoods to ensure that illegal mining is not just disrupted—but replaced.
