Latest News & Events

Trader Charged in Congo with Smuggling +$500K Worth of Rough

A diamond dealer was charged with illegal possession, diamond trafficking and attempted corruption and fraud Wednesday in the Congolese city of Kinshasa, AFP reported Wednesday.

Ajudiya Pravin Kumar, an Indian businessman, was discovered at the Kinshasa airport last week with over $500,000 worth of rough diamonds in his suitcase. Congolese valuators said the diamonds have a total weight of 42,000 carats.

Kumar, who has worked as a diamond trader in the Congo for the last six years, reportedly told the court that he believed the stones to be "ordinary stones" and "souvenirs" for his family – not diamonds.