Three foreigners deported for gold smuggling

The Ghana Gold Board has announced that three out of six foreign nationals arrested for smuggling gold will be deported, while the remaining three will face prosecution under Ghana’s new gold trading laws.

The decision was disclosed by Prince Minkah, spokesperson for the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), during a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, May 14. The three deportees, all Indian nationals, will be sent back to their country since their arrest occurred before the April 30 deadline for foreigners to exit Ghana’s local gold trade.

They will be repatriated to their home country to reunite with their families. The second batch of three suspects, arrested in Anyinam after the new law took effect, will face prosecution under the new law, which reserves local gold trading exclusively for the Gold Board.

The Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 was introduced to regulate gold trading and curb illegal exports. Foreigners were given until April 30 to exit the local gold market, with strict penalties for violators Authorities have vowed to intensify surveillance to prevent further smuggling attempts

The Interior Minister, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has stated that the government will focus on deporting foreign nationals involved in criminal activities, such as illegal mining and cyber fraud, rather than prosecuting them in Ghana