The Special Police Anti-Galamsey Task Force has arrested four suspects, including an assemblyman, following a violent confrontation with illegal miners at Bonteso in the Ashanti Region.

The suspects, identified as Akwesi Amponsah, Osei Vasco, Patrick Asare (Assemblyman), and Owusu Alexander, were arrested on August 13, 2025, during an operation to seize an excavator actively being used for illegal mining.

Preliminary investigations indicated that while on routine patrol, the task force encountered the excavator in a mining pit, causing extensive environmental destruction.

"As the team began loading the machine for seizure, a group of illegal miners, led by the local assemblyman, mobilised and attacked the officers with stones and other objects with two individuals also seen firing pump action guns," a Ghana Police Service (GPS) statement noted.

"The miners blocked all exit routes in an attempt to prevent the Police from moving the excavator. The team, however, stood their grounds, responded with the appropriate force, and dispersed the hostile crowd. Two persons sustained gunshot injuries during the confrontation and are receiving medical attention. The task force successfully transported one seized excavator to the Manso Adubia Police Station."

The suspects are currently in police custody assisting investigations and will be put before court to face the full rigours of the law.

Police have given assurance that they will continue to intensify efforts against illegal mining activities in the country.