Illegal miners from Mali and Guinea deported

All the 109 Malian and Guinean citizens who were arrested at Tinga in the Bole District in the Northern Region for illegally prospecting for gold have been deported to their respective countries.

According to the Northern Regional Police Crime Officer, Alhaji Mahama Arhin, Immigration Service officials in Tamale requested that the suspects be handed over to them for further interrogation.

Alhaji Arhin said the suspects were subsequently questioned and deported through the Hamile border in the Upper West Region.
They were arrested on December 21, last year at Tinga, a farming community, where they were  prospecting for gold.

The police also retrieved some mining tools, including 66 gold detectors, from the suspects who entered the country without valid travelling documents.

According to Alhaji Arhin, the suspects had been engaged in the illegal mining activities for a week.

He explained that the arrest was successfully carried out in collaboration with Immigration Service officials in the Bole District, which shares borders with Cote d’Ivoire.