Five people have been arrested by the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners taskforce for mining in the Birim River at Akyem Mampong and Anyinam in the Eastern Region's Atewa East District.
In addition, the taskforce seized two recently constructed Changfans that were ready to be launched into the Birim River by galamseyers and set forty Changfans on fire.
A few days after the military visited the location to burn several changfans, the suspects, along with a number of other obstinate illegal miners, returned to the site to resume their unlawful activities.
When the taskforce encircled them while they were busy mining with their changfans, two of them were detained right in the midst of the river.