Illegal mining: 7 suspects, including 6 Chinese nationals, arrested by the Saraya Criminal Investigation Brigade and a seizure of 23 million FCFA

The Saraya Gendarmerie's Research Brigade (BR) arrested seven people, including six Chinese nationals, at a gold mining site in Kharakhéna. They are M. KA, L. TONG, P. ZHENGHUA, Y. QIAN, L. ZHI, Y. KAI, and L. GUO FEI. They were brought before the public prosecutor in Kédougou on October 14, 2026, on charges of criminal conspiracy, illegal mining, and soil degradation.

It all started with an informant who reported to the BR that a Chinese company was illegally operating a mining site near Kharakhéna, a town known to be a hub for such activities. According to the informant, the site had suffered severe degradation, likely to significantly impact the environment.

The police initially deployed to a specific area to gather information on this increasingly common practice. Their investigations revealed that a Chinese company was operating a fifty-hectare plot of land without valid authorization.

The operation is semi-mechanized: light and medium machinery (excavators, loaders, crushers, shaking tables) work there with a local workforce, housed on site in makeshift huts.

On October 12, 2026, investigators visited the site. They found the JINWANG MINING SUARL company fully operational, managed by six Chinese nationals. A. TOURE was requested as an interpreter and signed the warrant for a qualified person.

After stating their identities and positions, the judicial police officers identified the site manager, L. TONG, and, through an interpreter, requested the documents relating to the operation. The investigators stated they were surprised to discover that the ministerial decree presented by the company had expired.

The company had indeed submitted a renewal application to the Ministry of Mines and Geology, but it was unsuccessful. On September 10, 2026, by letter no. (…), the regional director of mines ordered it to immediately cease operations. The suspension was to last until a new permit was issued and the dispute with Boya SA was resolved. The individuals involved ignored this order, which investigators consider a defiance of administrative authority. According to Seneweb sources, only the arrival of the gendarmes interrupted the work.

The area had been allocated to the Kédougou Dental GOLD GIE, owned by Mr. KA. He had made it available to the Chinese company under a contract.

According to the investigation, the criminal conspiracy is clear: the accused created a company and contracted with Mr. KA, then knowingly continued to exploit the site. Our sources reiterate that any extraction of minerals without state authorization violates mining, land, and environmental laws, and that the suspension order issued to Mr. KA by the director of mines in Kédougou has gone unheeded.

Regarding soil degradation, the report emphasizes that gold mining, whether industrial or artisanal, leads to profound and often irreversible degradation. Massive clearing and tree felling remove the protective layer of soil and expose it to the elements.

The gendarmes seized 23,042,500 CFA francs, 684.9 grams of gold, 237 grams of gold processing powder, 460.9 grams of an unidentified substance, and two buckets of ore sand in the process of being processed. They also seized equipment: three SANY SY365H hydraulic excavators, a LIUGONG 856V loader, a vacuum cleaner, two small generators, and three tanks, one empty and two filled with diesel fuel. In addition, they seized three Toyota vehicles, one of which was broken down, three refrigerators, thirty buckets of oil, eleven engine oil filters, ten oil filters, and two machine filters.

The cash, gold, gunpowder, unidentified product, oil buckets, filters, and sand buckets were placed under numbered seals (1 through 9). The vehicle is under seal number 10, while the Toyota is being held by the unit pending a court decision. The equipment, vacuum cleaner, generators, and tanks, valued at thirty million, were entrusted to the security company Africa Trading Société (ATS), hired by the company and represented by I. TOURE.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the gendarmes determined that the serious and consistent evidence justified the arrest of the seven suspects. They were brought before the public prosecutor in Kédougou on October 14, 2026.