Airport police detain Russian passenger attempting to smuggle 26,000 diamonds
- 11 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: Some 26,000 diamonds, worth at least $162,000 contained in transparent plastic bags in hand luggage, proved too much for the "nothing to declare" lane at a Moscow airport.
An unemployed, 37-year-old Russian man carrying the package from Dubai was detained on Sunday at the international Sheremetyevo airport, Russia's federal customs service said.
Airport's spokeswoman Natalia Karaseva said that one customs officer noticed that the man was very nervous during regular luggage checks and was pressing a bag under his arm, so she asked him to let her see what was inside.
The man, from the restive Dagestan region in Russia's North Caucasus, said he was carrying the diamonds as a favor for a friend. It was not clear whether he would face criminal charges.
STORY: Some 26,000 diamonds, worth at least $162,000 contained in transparent plastic bags in hand luggage, proved too much for the "nothing to declare" lane at a Moscow airport.
An unemployed, 37-year-old Russian man carrying the package from Dubai was detained on Sunday at the international Sheremetyevo airport, Russia's federal customs service said.
Airport's spokeswoman Natalia Karaseva said that one customs officer noticed that the man was very nervous during regular luggage checks and was pressing a bag under his arm, so she asked him to let her see what was inside.
The man, from the restive Dagestan region in Russia's North Caucasus, said he was carrying the diamonds as a favor for a friend. It was not clear whether he would face criminal charges.