Table of Contents
Is smuggling diamonds illegal?
The 2003 law bans the import of diamonds unless they undergo a rigorous certification procedure to ensure they do not come from illegal trade. …
How are the diamonds smuggled out of Africa?
Diamonds are famously easy to smuggle. The high value of small stones means resources worth thousands of dollars can be carried and concealed with ease. Several traders referred to this as the process of ‘naturalising’ their diamonds. Once out of CAR, buyers claim that the stones have been mined elsewhere.
Are there still blood diamonds today?
It shows that the production of conflict diamonds still exists in Sierra Leone. According to the 2005 Country Reports on Human Right Practices of Africa from the United States, serious human rights issues still exist in Sierra Leone, even though the 11-year civil conflict had officially ended by 2002.
Are there still diamonds in Sierra Leone?
Diamonds are found in about a quarter of Sierra Leone in the south-east and east of the country, with the diamond fields cover 7,700 square miles. The main production areas are concentrated around the drainage areas of rivers in the Kono, Kenema and Bo Districts.
How much is the blood diamond worth?
Diamond experts say the gem could be the 10th-largest ever discovered and initially pegged its value at $50 million.
Do real diamonds show up on xray?
It is sometimes said that diamonds don’t show up on X-ray images. That’s not true, as diamond smugglers can be caught in X-ray checks. However, it is true that, in the early days of X-rays, diamond rings could be distinguished from synthetic or ‘paste’ stones used in costume jewellery using X-rays.
How are people smuggling diamonds around the world?
Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp—the tools of the digital economy—are also helping smugglers and middlemen piece together the first steps of the global supply chains that still carry conflict diamonds to international markets.
How are diamond smugglers game the Kimberley Process?
While speaking with various dealers, polishing houses, authorities, and international suppliers, I discovered that smugglers had found a new way to game the Kimberley Process (KP), the international certification scheme hatched to prevent the kinds of stones-for-weapons exchanges made infamous by movies like Blood Diamond.
What does it mean to be a diamond smuggler?
Like those of nearly all the men (they’re almost exclusively men) in the global diamond smuggling scene, Tunga’s fingers, ears, and neck were conspicuously stonefree. “We don’t care about diamonds. They are to sell! Not for me to wear.”
Why are the legs of a diamond smuggler cracked?
Even that was scuffed to the point of unreadability, warped in equal parts by a merciless sub-Saharan sun and the constant shuffling of a big-number Casio calculator. The cracked legs weren’t going to hold out for much longer either.