Angolan police seize more than 2,600 diamond stones

Angolan police services have arrested an individual in illegal possession of more than 2,600 diamond stones in Lunda Norte province, Angolan authorities said on Saturday.

The 55-year-old defendant is suspected of illegally trading in diamonds in a house in the town of Xá-muteba (560 km from Luanda), said the Communication Department within the Criminal Investigation Service.

He also said that the police seized diamond scales, a dredge, magnifying glasses, as well as sums of money in the order of 3,250 dollars and 510,000 kwanzas.

The same source said that the defendant was taken into custody, while the diamonds will be transferred to the Commission in charge of “Operation Transparency”, whose headquarters are located in the province of Malanje.

Angola, which contributes 7% of the world diamond trade with 9.1 million carats in 2019, is facing the challenge of illegal mining, causing it to lose revenue estimated at millions of dollars.