The illegal miners include foreigners from Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, who were busted in a special operation by the military at Anyinam and Mampong in the Eastern Region.
164 'galamseyers' including foreigners arrested
A total of 164 suspected illegal miners have been arrested by a military anti-galamsey taskforce.
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The galamseyers arrested include five alleged prostitutes who were sent to Accra in three Ghana Armed Forces buses on Thursday, September 15, 2022.
A Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources George Mireku Duker, addressing the media when the suspects were brought to Accra for processing and prosecution commended the task force for acting swiftly to clampdown on both local and foreign nationals involved in illegal mining.
He assured us that the suspects will be handed over to the Police for processing and prosecution.
"We asked the security agencies to conduct a massive operation to get these foreign nationals who have invaded our environment.
"These are people from neighbouring countries who have invaded mining concessions near river bodies in this country," he noted.
"I want to commend the Ministry for the efforts they have shown to arrest 164 illegal miners.
"They also have people who are providing other services. One of them confessed that she is happy they have been arrested as she was trafficked to Ghana.
"We will hand them over to the appropriate authorities for them to take the necessary actions," Duker added.
The practice of galamsey activities contributes tremendously to the local economy of the communities within which the practice is conducted.
The number of galamseyers in Ghana is unknown but believed to be from 20,000 to 50,000, including thousands from China.
The major cause of galamsey is unemployment among the youth in Ghana.
Galamsey damages the land and water supply and following the destruction, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said he will do all within his power to put an end to the menace.
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