Nearly $1 million worth of diamonds were seized by customs officials at JFK Airport last weekend on suspicion the gems are "blood diamonds."
The 28 rough diamonds originated from Sierra Leone with a total weight of almost 1,200 carats, customs officials said.
Two U.S. jewelers arriving from Sierra Leone via London declared the diamonds and 57 pounds of gold dust upon arrival at JFK on Saturday, customs officials said. Unset stones are usually duty free when imported from most countries.
Customs officials became suspicious when the jewelers, whose names have not been released, could not produce Kimberly Certificates on the stones. The certificates, required by the Clean Diamond Trade Act, certifies shipments of rough diamonds are "conflict free," meaning they have not been derived from conflict areas of Africa. Conflict diamonds or "blood diamonds" have been a crucial factor in prolonging brutal wars in parts of Africa.
The 28 diamonds seized at JFK were headed for Brentwood, N.Y. and had a declared value of $800,000.
Cutsoms and Border Protect are working to verify the origins of the stones.
