Fifty illegal miners have been arrested by Operation Vanguard, the team tasked to end activities of illegal miners in the country.
The arrests were effected in two separate operations in the Western and Eastern regions over the past week.
Those arrested includes; Chinese, Guinean and Burkinabe nationals.
While locals have been handed over to the police for possible prosecution, the foreign nationals, as well as excavators that were confiscated, have been handed over to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining for action to be taken.
The Operation Vanguard team has however bemoaned the support of some local residents in harbouring illegal miners which it says hampers its operations.
Another action in the Central region has led to the destruction of ninety-four changfan machines used for the mining.