South African police say they’ve arrested a 25-year-old man who
swallowed 220 polished diamonds in an attempt to smuggle them out of the
country. The man, a Lebanese, was attempting to smuggle them from
Johannesburg to Dubai.
Capt. Paul Ramaloko of the South African Police Service said
investigators arrested the man on Tuesday night as he waited in line at
security at O.R. Tambo International Airport just outside of
Johannesburg. Ramaloko said a scan of the man’s body showed the
diamonds, which later were recovered. He said the man had been on his
way to Dubai.
According to the police captain, “We nabbed him just before he went
through the security checkpoint… We had to take him through the X-ray
and take them out from his body.”
The diamonds were reported to be worth about $2.3 million.
Authorities believe the man belongs to a smuggling ring, as another man
was arrested in March attempting the same thing. South Africa is one of
the world’s top diamond producers.