The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has seized cash and gold worth over GH¢35 million in a sweeping crackdown on illegal gold trading activities across four regions, intensifying the government’s efforts to sanitize the gold sector and enforce the country’s mining laws.
According to GoldBod Managing Director, Sammy Gyamfi, the Board, in collaboration with the National Security Secretariat, has undertaken 17 major operations this year across the Central, Western, Ashanti, and Eastern Regions, leading to multiple arrests and the dismantling of sophisticated smuggling rings.
The latest operation—carried out earlier this week in Asankragwa, Western Region—uncovered a major illegal gold trading network operated by 10 foreign nationals. Acting on intelligence, the GoldBod Anti-Galamsey Task Force raided a private residence that had been converted into an illegal gold trading hub.
The raid resulted in the seizure of:
The suspects arrested are:
Tang Da Jien (41), Wang Chun Ling (41), Wei Dong (41), Li Fu Shou (60), Wei Sheng Xin (39), He Shi Long (57), Wu Cheng Wei (32), Li Ren Neng (44), Fan Zhen Shang (46), and Zheng Xi Chuang (54).
Now, the grace period is over
Addressing the media at a joint press conference with National Security in Accra, Mr. Gyamfi declared an end to leniency, warning that foreign nationals found violating Ghana’s gold trading laws will face full prosecution rather than deportation.
“Now, the grace period is over. From here on, anyone caught will face the full rigours of the law,” he said.
The 10 foreign suspects are currently in custody and expected to be arraigned in court. Upon conviction, they face between five and 25 years in prison, heavy fines, or both.
“Enemies of the state”
Mr. Gyamfi condemned the illegal operations as not only criminal but deeply harmful to the nation’s economic stability, stating:
“They deprive our people of much-needed foreign exchange, which is essential for the stability of our currency and for national development.”
He emphasized that foreigners are explicitly barred from gold trading in Ghana under the Gold Trading Regulation of the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1142).
He revealed that the suspects operated covertly in private homes and hotels which they had converted into gold depots, laundering proceeds through casino cards stored in massive safes.
“This is not speculation, it’s a criminal enterprise,” Mr. Gyamfi said, referencing trading records written in Chinese, documenting gold weights, purity levels, and pricing data.
Seized assets to benefit mining communities
Mr. Gyamfi announced that all confiscated assets would be directed into developmental initiatives across Ghana’s mining communities, including schools, potable water systems, and health facilities, in line with Act 1142.
“It must be validated by a Tribunal before it can be confiscated. We intend to follow this process to the letter,” he assured, adding,
“We are not releasing a single gramme of gold or a single cedi of this money.”
He also confirmed that all seized items have been secured in the vaults of the National Security Secretariat, with inventories documented in the presence of the suspects to ensure transparency and accountability.
“No one, and I repeat, no one, can call me to release even a gramme of gold or a cedi of the money,” Mr. Gyamfi stressed.
Investigations are ongoing to identify local collaborators, financiers, and arms suppliers behind the network. The operation marks a significant escalation in the state’s war on illegal gold trading and smuggling, and sends a strong warning to those flouting the law.
