-Some of the best diamonds in the world come from Sierra Leone, but unfortunately most of them are illegally smuggled out of the country.
-About 17 million dollars worth of diamonds leave Sierra Leone each year, but only 11 million is exported by the government.
-Logically speaking, that means that 6 million dollars worth of diamonds are illegally smuggled out of Sierra Leone each year.
-This means that Sierra Leone is losing millions of dollars each year because of rebel smugglers.
-The Sierra Leone government believes that people are smuggling most of their diamonds into Liberia because when you compare exports, Sierra Leone exports only 11 million each year, while Liberia exports close to 100 million each year.
-Both Liberia and Guinea export diamonds each year, but most of them are believed to be smuggled from Sierra Leone.
-Back in 2000, Sierra Leone tried out a new system that was meant to trace a diamond's origin from mind to retailer, but smuggling still continues.
-The Sierra Leone government says that smuggling activity has gotten better, but it still poses a huge problem in Sierra Leone.
Questions
Has the Sierra Leone government tried any other systems to reduce smuggling?
If so, what are they and have they succeeded in any way?
What are some of the ways that people have successfully smuggled diamonds out of Sierra Leone?
