The Forestry Commission has arrested 21 individuals — 11 Chinese nationals and 10 Ghanaians — during an intelligence-led operation targeting illegal mining activities in the Yakombo Forest Reserve in the Savannah Region.
The swoop, carried out on December 2, 2025, involved 51 personnel, including forest guards from the Buipe and Bole districts and three Rapid Response teams. The suspects were picked up in Compartments 50 and 51 of the reserve, near Tuntumba in the Bole-Bamboi District.
Authorities also impounded multiple vehicles and equipment believed to be used for the illegal mining operations. These include:
1 Toyota Hilux
2 Great Wall pick-ups
3 Howo tipper trucks
1 Man Diesel low-bed truck transporting an excavator
All suspects have been handed over to the Damongo Regional Police for further investigations and prosecution. The seized equipment is currently secured at Mole National Park under the Wildlife Division.
Established in 1974, the Yakombo Forest Reserve is Ghana’s largest, spanning about 1,210 km².