A landlord at Osino Zongo in the Fanteakwa South District of the Eastern Region has been busted for selling his residential property to illegal miners (galamseyers).
The landlord, a middle-aged man, was arrested alongside three accomplices on Tuesday, October 7.
They were arrested following a joint operation led by Mercy Korang, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Fanteakwa South, and the National Security.
According to reports, the team, after a tip-off, stormed the compound, catching the suspects red-handed underground mining using washing equipment and other tools.
Investigation revealed, the landlord sold his four-bedroom house for GH₵800,000 to the illegal miners.
The illegal miners later disguised their operations as well-digging, but were later found out as their wells were later discovered to be underground pits used for gold extraction.
Some residents have raised an alarm that several houses in the area have already been damaged or demolished to make way for galamsey activities.
The suspects are now in police custody at Osino.
The DCE of the area, Madam Korang, described the development as troubling, stating, “This act of selling homes for illegal mining is destroying our communities from within. We will not allow such recklessness to continue”.
Meanwhile, the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) Task Force has rounded up several illegal gold miners (galamseyers) at the Cape Three Points forest reserve.
According to reports, NAIMOS stormed the Cape Three Points forest reserve and arrested several galamseyers and also destroyed mining equipment and drugs.
The galamseyers’ makeshift structures were also burnt.
This follows NAIMOS’ operation on illegal miners (galamsey) in the Western North and Western Regions.
NAIMOS arrested two Chinese nationals and intercepted several Burkinabè workers in separate anti-galamsey operations.
Additionally, NAIMOS stormed a notorious galamsey hideout named ‘Gangway’ at Aboso in the Western Region.
According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister of Government Communication, the operation was carried out on Monday, October 5, 2025.
In a post on X, he wrote, “The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) Task Force has carried out a significant operation in the Western Region, targeting notorious galamsey hideouts.
On Monday, October 5, 2025, the Task Force stormed “Gangway,” a crime-infested community in Aboso, Prestea-Huni Valley District.
-Makeshift Structures Destroyed*: Several makeshift structures serving as hideouts and drug bases were set ablaze, and galamsey equipment was destroyed.
-Hundreds Surrender: Several hundred locals, mostly galamseyers, surrendered to the Task Force. These individuals were involved in various social vices, including illegal mining, trading, and narcotics smoking, as well as gambling.
-Drugs Seized- Eleven parcels of Indian Hemp were seized, alongside other hard drugs.
– Previous Warnings Ignored: This operation follows a similar one in June 2025, where NAIMOS warned criminal gangs and galamseyers to vacate the area. Despite this, the warnings were ignored.