Man detained with 26000 diamonds at Russian airport

Customs officers at the Moscow Sheremetyevo international airport Monday arrested a Russian citizen who attempted to smuggle 26,000 diamonds with a total weight of 166 grams (830 carats) into the country.

The passenger, whose identity has not been revealed, arrived in Moscow on a flight from Dubai. He stashed the undeclared diamonds of various shapes and colours in Apple iPhone 5 boxes.

“The experts roughly estimate the value of the diamonds at 5 million rubles (about $162,000),” the Customs press service said in a statement.

“The detained passenger said the cargo belongs to his acquaintance who simply asked him to deliver it to Moscow,” the statement said.

The confiscated diamonds have been sent for further evaluation.

According to the Russian legislation, all goods with a total value over 10,000 euros ($13,000) are subject to customs duties and must be declared upon entering the country.