By Bill W. Cooper
The government, through the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), says it has arrested five Chinese nationals in Rivercess County, a region believed to be increasingly engulfed by unregulated mining activities.
The arrests, which took place recently, are part of the government’s broader initiative to crack down on illegal mining operations and enforce mining regulations, coupled with protecting the country’s natural resources.
It can be recalled that the government shut down Hongtu Mining Limited, a Chinese mining company and turned over its authorities to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution after being accused of carrying on illegal mining in Mat House Town, Dweh Community, District 1, Grand Bassa County.
Liberia, a country with rich mineral resources, including gold and diamonds, has struggled with issues of illegal mining activities for years after attracting both local and foreign miners, many of whom operate without proper licenses.
However, the Ministry, through its Minister, Wilmot Paye, disclosed that the arrest was a joint operation of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, including several state security agencies during the crackdown.
Minister Paye explained, “The suspects were later received by our Deputy Minister for Operations, William Hines for turnover to the Justice Ministry to be prosecuted for violating the Minerals and Mining Law of Liberia through their illegal operations in Rivercess.”
The MME boss also narrated that this is a routine compliance enforcement exercise fully funded by the government, disclosing that a similar exercise conducted in 2024 led to the arrest and indictment of illicit miners, who later admitted to wrongdoing and requested an out-of-court settlement to pay hundreds of thousands of United States Dollars.
He added, “The Chinese illicit miners were spotted on a mining site belonging to Class ‘B’ Mining Company, Devaco, but were seen in possession of identification cards of Hongtu Mining Company; another Class ‘B’ License holder.”
Meanwhile, a compliance team from MME is also carrying out enforcement operations in the Southeastern region, discovering that Devaco Mining Company, which has allegedly defaulted on payment for renewal of its license from 2022 – 2024, carried out a unilateral transfer of its license to the Hongtu Mining Company.
The Ministry has since issued a closure order on the company’s operations in Rivercess, while its mining equipment, including a complete set of washing plants and an excavator, among others, have been confiscated.
The Ministry, at the same time, pledged its commitment to continuing the compliance assessment activities in other parts of the Southeastern region to ensure miners adhere to the Minerals and Mining Law and Regulations.
