Deputy Lands Minister, George Mireku Duker said the aircraft which belongs to the Armed Forces will come in handy as new strategies are being mapped out to fight galamsey.

“The aircraft have been around, and they are sitting in Takoradi. You could bear with me that in court we may need some evidence, it is the reason these aircraft are very important in the sector.

“We are hoping to have not less than four of these aircraft,” Mr Duker said in an interview with the media.

In November last year, the Ghana Armed Forces deployed in the fight against illegal mining in forest reserves and river bodies seized 30 excavators, destroyed four and immobilised four others on site.

This was after the re-launch of Operation Halt II on October 11, 2022, with the seizure and destruction made within the period ending October 31.

According to the Director of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces, Naval Captain Michael Addo Larbi, during the three-week operation period, the teams destroyed 103 Changfan machines, nine water pumping machines, five generator sets and two fuel storage tanks