Principal Buyers and Smuggling Routes Human Rights Watch was not able to fully pursue the global chain of purchase of diamonds from Marange, but Human Rights Watch’s research suggests that the majority of Marange diamonds have been smuggled out of the country via Mozambique, South Africa, and Harare international airport, and then shipped to Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan, and Europe, among other destinations. The buyers of Marange diamonds fall into two categories: • • “Agents” or middlemen (mostly Zimbabweans) who travel to the diamond fields to buy diamonds from individual miners, syndicates, or others on behalf of principal buyers; Principal buyers themselves (known as “barons”), often based in Mutare, Harare, Mozambique, or South Africa. These buyers, who often enjoy political, military, police, or other official patronage, in turn sell the diamonds to other buyers in the international community.24 One middleman told Human Rights Watch that he often travelled to Mozambique to sell diamonds to different foreign buyers based there.25 Another middleman told Human Rights Watch that he would make weekly trips to sell Marange diamonds to buyers based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He told Human Rights Watch: Diamonds are easy to smuggle because of the very high concentration of value in very small stones that does not set off metal detectors. Often l would hide my stones in toothpaste, or shaving cream, or under my car seat, or in my belt. When l had a high value gem, from 15 carats, l would swallow it and then retrieve it later.26 According to miners who spoke to Human Rights Watch, diamonds were not always exchanged for cash; sometimes the diamonds exchanged hands for clothes, cars, food, sex, mobile phones, or marijuana.27 At times, foreign smugglers without middlemen travelled to 24 Human Rights Watch interview with middleman K.K., Harare, February 2, 2009. 25 Human Rights Watch interview with middleman K.C., Mutare, February 9, 2009. 26 Human Rights Watch interview with middleman M.M., Mutare, February 7, 2009. 27 Human Rights Watch interviews with local miner V.C., Mutare, February 19, 2009; middlemen T.N., T.B., and S.M., Mutare, February 9, 2009. 15 Human Rights Watch | June 2009