A 24-year-old galamseyer and unemployed, Alexander Addo has been sentenced to a fine of GH¢1.2billion for engaging in small-scale mining without a license.
He was sentenced by a circuit court at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Dormaa Central Municipality of Bono Region presided over by Samuel Djanie Kotey.
The suspect pleaded guilty to the charge and failure to pay the fine would serve 20 years imprisonment in hard labour.
According to Police Inspector (P/Inspt.) Emmanuel Asare the complainant, a farmer, and the convict were residents of different suburbs at Wamfie, the district capital of Dormaa East, Bono Region.
Asare said the complainant owned farmland located at Wammu near Wamfie, where part of that land had been cultivated with plantain and vegetables.
He said for more than a year now, the convict and other galamseyers had taken possession of the land and caused great damage to it for more than a year.
He stated that all efforts made by the police and the complainant to arrest those illegal miners failed, until about four months ago when the complainant, with the assistance of some young men, arrested the accused while he was actively engaging in illegal mining on the farmland.
The prosecution said the defendant fled while being escorted to the police station indicating that on Sunday, December 12, 2022, she met the accused and one other accomplice actively engaged in mining on the farmland.
He said the complainant hid and invited her son, a witness in the case, to the scene and they planned on how to arrest miners.
The accused and his accomplice allegedly left when they noticed the complainant and her son.
However, the police apprehended the culprit and delivered him to the police, along with a cleaning carpet and a plastic container.
Inspector Asare stated that on Monday, December 19, 2022, the complainant returned to the scene and found a pickaxe, a shovel, and a cutlass believed to be other implements used by the accused and his accomplice.
During investigations, the convict admitted the offense in his investigation caution statement to police and mentioned one Effah of Wamfie as his accomplice.
He said the police went to Effah's residence, and they were informed that he had left town. Following further investigation, the inmate was charged with a criminal offense.