Man arrested at South Africa airport after swallowing 220 diamonds in smuggling bid

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A man has been arrested at an airport in South Africa after swallowing 220 diamonds in an attempt to smuggle them out of the country.

The 25-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday night at O.R. Tambo International Ariport just outside Johannesburg after the diamonds showed up on a body scan at security.

Capt. Paul Ramaloko of the South African Police Service said the diamonds were later recovered from the man, and were worth around £1.5 million, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The BBC reports that the man was of Lebanese origin, and was travelling to Dubai.

Authorities believe the man belongs to a smuggling ring, as another man was arrested in March attempting the very same thing.

Swallowing diamonds as a way to steal or smuggle them is not a new technique. Back in September, police arrested a man who for swallowing an £8,000 diamond at a gem exhibition in Sri Lanka.

Diamond owner Suresh de Silva said the man asked for a close inspection of the gem, and operated by swapping real gemstones with forged ones. But he was caught in the act by Mr de Silva, who called the police.

And diamonds aren't the only thing people swallow in smuggling attempts; also back in September, two men were arrested at the international airport in the Colombian city of Medellin after they ingested $40,000 (£26,500) worth of cash and tried to enter Colombia.

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