Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong, says many of the persons involved in illegal mining are foreigners.

This he says raises fears regional protocols Ghana is a signatory to may undermine efforts to clamp down on the galamsey menace.

“Most of the people we arrest on the water bodies are not even Ghanaians... I must admit that we have been inundated with a lot of people who are not from our country and our battles have been repatriating them,” he said.

In an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, September 16, Mr Acheampong said the prisons are overcrowded with illegal miners.

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He noted that due to the overcrowding situation, they cannot be incarcerated when these foreigners are arrested, adding that “we liaise with the Ghana Immigration Service and their missions in this country to help repatriate them.”

He however noted in cases where their missions do not demonstrate commitment making it frustrating, they are incarcerated.