Loaves of Bread and Jelly Jars with Diamonds Caught in Zimbabwe
October 22, 06
Thousands of fortune seekers descended on a remote region of Zimbabwe where news of a diamond find spread quickly. Twenty diamond smugglers were caught and arrested after attempting to illegally remove the diamonds, hiding them in bread loaves and jelly jars, the local press reported Friday.
The smugglers were among many who traveled to the Marange communal lands in eastern Zimbabwe to dig for diamonds, attempting to mine and sell the illicitly.
According to the weekly Manica Post, diggers were seen selling rough diamonds to dealers sitting in cars, some of them with South African license plates. Many of the diggers were reportedly from neighboring Mozambique.
The paper went on to say that the discovery of diamonds in the area created a trading frenzy, with some trading food, furniture, clothes, and even detergents in return for the gems, used now in the region as a currency.