Operation Vanguard Taskforce has arrested three illegal Miners in Akyem Abomosu in the Eastern Region.
The accused illegal miners are Kwame Takyi, Kudjo Asamoah and Kofi Gyasi.
The accused persons were on Friday put before Koforidua Circuit Court “B” and charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and Mining without license.
The accused persons however pleaded not guilt.
Presenting the facts of the case the Prosecuting Officer, Superintendent Kofi Blagodzi told the Court that, the complainant is a military officer in Charge of Operation Vanguard -Forward Operating Base.
On December 13, 2017 at about 12:00pm, while the complainant and his men were on their patrol mission at Akyem Abomosu and its environs, upon reaching a mining site, they saw a group of illegal miners busily mining at site.
He said, the illegal miners on seeing the taskforce absconded but the taskforce managed to arrest the accused persons.
The Prosecuting officer further narrated that, a shovel, two pick axes, one pumping machine, a washing mat and one rubber bowl were retrieved from the accused persons.
The accused persons were handed over to the Kwabeng Police for investigation where accused Kofi Gyasi led Police investigators to the mining site where they were mining before arrested.
He said, the accused persons admitted the offence during the caution statement but when put before court, pleaded not guilty.
The court granted bail of Ghc35,000 with three sureties to each the accused person and adjourned the case upon plea by their counsel .
Meanwhile some members of the Operation Vanguard Taskforce in the region are very angry over allegation of corruption leveled against them by the Eastern regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfuor. They say the Minister’s allegation is baseless considering the sacrifices they making day and night going after defiant illegal miners still operating in parts of the region.