20 people detained for smuggling diamonds worth $6M in China

Shanghai customs authorities have recently seized loose diamonds and diamond products worth more than 40 million yuan (about $6.14 million) smuggled from abroad, Report informs referring to Xinhua.

On April 15, the customs sent 20 task forces to arrest suspects in municipalities and provinces including Shanghai, Beijing and Guangdong. Twenty members of the diamond smuggling ring were caught, with 84 loose diamonds, 252 diamond items and more than 100 packages of smaller diamonds seized on the spot.

Preliminary investigation shows that the ring had been purchasing diamonds from overseas websites and smuggling them into the Chinese mainland via Hong Kong since July 2020.

Further investigation is underway.