NAIMOS Storms ‘Gangway’ Hideout at Aboso, Arrests Illegal Miners and Destroys Galamsey Structures

he National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has successfully dismantled a notorious illegal mining hideout, popularly known as “Gangway,” located at Aboso in the Prestea-Huni Valley District of the Western Region.

The intelligence-led operation, carried out on Monday, October 5, 2025, targeted the enclave long recognized as a haven for hardened illegal miners and other criminal elements.

During the swoop, the task force destroyed numerous makeshift structures that served as shelters and drug bases for the illegal operators. The team also seized several pieces of mining equipment used for unlicensed operations that have contributed to severe environmental degradation in the area.

According to NAIMOS, several suspects engaged in illegal mining, gambling, drug abuse, and narcotics trading surrendered voluntarily during the raid. The team recovered eleven parcels of Indian hemp and other hard drugs from the suspects.

This latest operation follows an earlier crackdown in June 2025, during which NAIMOS warned illegal miners and criminal gangs to vacate the ‘Gangway’ hideout. Despite repeated warnings from traditional authorities and residents, the illegal activities had persisted—prompting the renewed enforcement action.

The Secretariat says the operation aims to restore law and order within the Aboso community and eliminate the entrenched network of galamsey and criminal activity in the area.

In a related development, NAIMOS also conducted a simultaneous operation along the Daren-Domping stretch in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, seizing fifteen water-pumping machines, one generator, and destroying three changfans and several makeshift camps.

NAIMOS reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining anti-galamsey operations across the Western Region and other hotspots as part of the government’s renewed drive to combat illegal mining.