Toronto woman arrested with 10,000 diamonds stored in a body part
A woman arriving from Trinidad & Tobago, Helena Freida Bodner, was arrested at Toronto’s International Airport last month attempting to import 10,000 uncut diamonds in one of her body cavities. She has been charged with smuggling, making a false statement to immigration authorities, and importing rough diamonds without the requisite paperwork.
According to the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper, the arrest is indicative of something more serious, and potentially more sinister. As the Guardian notes, Trinidad is not a diamond-mining country, and so the diamonds must have come from another country making their way through Trinidad to Canada, possibly being moved to a fourth or even fifth destination. It notes that authorities said the purchase of the diamonds was secured well in advance, as it’s unlikely that a smuggler would risk moving that quantity of diamonds without a guaranteed payment.
The article in the Guardian can be read here.