The offices of a Herrera NGO investigating diamond smuggling from the Marange diamond field were raided on Thursday.

According to media reports, Farai Maguwu, Director of the Zimbabwean NGO the Centre for Research and Development, went missing following the raid, and his younger brother, Reason Maguwu, was arrested.

The NGO’s report alleges that thousands of carats of diamonds were smuggled out of the Marange diamond field into Mozambique and sold in the United Arab Emirates.

The NGO’s report alleges that thousands of carats of diamonds were smuggled out of the Marange area into Mozambique and sold in the United Arab Emirates.

Maguwu met with Abbey Chikane, the Kimberly Process appointed Monitor to Zimbabwe last week.

Mines Minister Obert Mpofu said that the diamonds exported to the United Arab Emirates without KP approval were from old stockpiles, mined before Marange concessions were handed to Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Mining.