The Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force has impounded two excavators during a major operation at Dwendwenase, a community in Juaso, within the Asante Akim South Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

The operation, carried out around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 23, 2025, was led by ASP Bawah Abdul Jalil with a 37-member team supported by six service vehicles.

According to the task force, the raid followed intelligence reports that Chinese nationals had invaded parts of the Dwendwenase Forest Reserve, where illegal mining activities were ongoing.

When the team stormed the area, the suspected miners fled, abandoning two excavators.

While one of the machines was faulty and could not be moved, the other was successfully loaded onto a low-bed carrier.

Shortly after, the task force received fresh intelligence about another excavator hidden in a cocoa farm at a nearby village, Atta Ne Atta.

The machine’s operator had disconnected some components to prevent its use, but the technical team managed to start it and load it onto the carrier.

Both excavators were later transported to the task force’s base at Patase for safekeeping and further action.

The operation forms part of ongoing efforts by the government and security agencies to clamp down on illegal mining, which continues to threaten Ghana’s forest reserves, farmlands, and water bodies.