The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has intercepted 1,070 banned Chanfang mining machines at the Tema Port, in what officials describe as one of the largest single seizures in the government’s intensified fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The operation, conducted on March 3, 2026, was part of a coordinated, intelligence-led effort involving multiple state security and regulatory agencies. A source at the EPA’s Tema office said the machines were hidden in imported containers and allegedly destined for a syndicate linked to a Chanfang cartel, suspected of destroying rivers and forest reserves across the country.
Chanfang machines, widely used in alluvial gold mining, have been banned due to their severe environmental impact, including river pollution, siltation, and the destruction of fertile agricultural land. In October 2025, the EPA issued a nationwide directive prohibiting the fabrication, importation, sale, and use of the machines under the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124) and Environmental Protection (Environmental Assessment) Regulations, 2025 (L.I. 2504).
“Although the manufacture and sale of these machines may have created livelihoods for some, their use in riverine mining has caused extensive environmental damage, including polluted water bodies, silted rivers, and loss of aquatic biodiversity,” the EPA said.
The Authority emphasized that the seizure underscores the government’s resolve to dismantle illegal mining networks and target not only operators on the ground but also financiers, importers, and logistical facilitators. The confiscated machines remain in secure custody as investigations continue, and individuals or companies linked to the shipment face prosecution.
Part of Broader Anti-Galamsey Drive
The seizure is part of a wider effort to restore polluted water bodies. Recently, the EPA deployed ionic nano-copper technology to rehabilitate sections of the heavily polluted River Birim in the Eastern Region, at an estimated cost of $200,000 per kilometre.
EPA leadership has reiterated that Chanfang machines are a major contributor to environmental degradation caused by illegal and unregulated mining and warned that smuggling of such equipment into the country will no longer be tolerated.
