The Western Regional police Command on Saturday 22nd February arrested key illegal mining kingpins including seven Chinese and eight Ghanaians at Ablebo and some part of Akango near the River Ankobra in the Nzema East Municipality.

This forms part of the renewed fight against illegal small scale mining, popularly called galamsey, across the country since the appointment of Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah as the Lands and Natural Resources Minister.

The team also seized 10 excavators during the operation and they are being processed for prosecution.

This operation comes less than one week after three Chinese and their Ghanaian counterpart were also arrested by National Security operatives along the Pra River near Supom-Dunkwa in the Shama District of the Western Region for suspected galamsey activities and pollution of the Pra River.