NAIMOS Arrests Three Chinese Nationals, One Ghanaian in Aveyime Illegal Sand-Winning Crackdown

The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested three Chinese nationals and a Ghanaian man during an enforcement operation targeting suspected illegal sand-winning at Aveyime in the Greater Accra Region, authorities said Friday.

The arrests were made during a crackdown at a site where the team discovered heavy machinery and equipment being used for sand extraction, including a fuel barge, a payloader, and an excavator. The operation forms part of a broader push by the secretariat to confront what officials describe as a growing environmental threat distinct from, but no less damaging than, illegal gold mining.

No Papers, No Permits

Gedzia Raphael Keli, Operational Officer of NAIMOS, told JoyNews’ Stephen Mensah that the three foreign nationals could not produce valid residency permits or any documentation explaining their presence in the country.

“Chinese nationals seen on the site; they don’t have permits for residency. They don’t have any documentation to prove why they are here,” Keli said. “So we will arrest them and send them to Sege Police Station right now. But when we are done with the operation for the day, we’ll send them to the Immigration Service in Accra for processing.”

Colonel Appiah, NAIMOS Director of Operations, disclosed that the operators of the site—including its alleged owner—also failed to produce documents establishing the legality of their sand-winning activities. The team ordered an immediate shutdown of all operations and directed the operators to report to the Minerals Commission for inspection and verification of their permits.

The Ghanaian suspect allegedly served as a foreman or translator between the Chinese nationals and other workers at the site. All four suspects were expected to be taken to Accra for further processing.

A Growing Environmental Crisis

The Aveyime operation comes amid mounting concern over the scale of illegal sand-winning across the Greater Accra Region. Just this week, NAIMOS spokesperson Paa Kwesi Schandorf warned that unregulated sand extraction risks becoming a second environmental catastrophe on the scale of galamsey.

“We cannot have another act of environmental terrorism on our hands,” Schandorf said on JoyNews. “Already, there is the menace of illegal mining that has ravaged the country. We are still working assiduously around the clock to redeem ourselves from the ravages. Therefore, we cannot entertain another demon.”

The environmental toll is already visible. Investigations by The Herald Ghana revealed extensive degradation across parts of the Ningo-Prampram Municipality, where sand-winning has transformed large stretches of land into landscapes resembling galamsey sites—deep excavations, massive earth heaps, and stripped vegetation. Some affected areas lie dangerously close to residential buildings and high-voltage transmission pylons forming part of the national power grid, raising fears about the stability of their foundations .

Residents of Afienya who spoke to JoyNews during an earlier enforcement exercise raised similar concerns, calling for urgent intervention.

Call for Coordination

Sege District Police Headquarters Commander Daniel Dan Yaro urged closer collaboration between the Minerals Commission and security agencies to ensure effective enforcement.

“Indeed, I would say we need to do things professionally to avoid excesses so that at least those who are in the forefront can also understand the basis for this enforcement. Nobody should be intimidated,” Yaro said. “And once we collaborate, we understand the basic principle of this activity.”

He urged the Minerals Commission to strengthen its partnership with security agencies, saying a coordinated approach would help reduce illegal sand extraction.

The operation follows a similar crackdown in late October, when ten suspected illegal sand winners—including Chinese nationals—were arrested at Battor in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region in a joint operation involving the Greater Accra Eastern Sand and Stone Miners Association, Minerals Commission liaison officers, and NAIMOS .

NAIMOS has indicated it will work with the sector ministry to develop revised measures to address illegal sand-winning and prevent further environmental degradation. The secretariat has also been intensifying its broader anti-illegal mining operations, having seized more than 100 excavators and arrested hundreds of suspected illegal miners between June and September this year .

As the sun set on the Aveyime site Friday, the heavy machinery sat idle and the suspects were en route to Accra—a small victory in what officials acknowledge is a sprawling and increasingly urgent battle to protect Ghana’s land and water from unregulated extraction.