A stolen $300,000 diamond was extracted from a woman’s intestines after she attempted to smuggle the gem out of Thailand.

Stolen Diamond

A 39-year old woman swallowed a stolen $300,000 diamond in an attempt to smuggle the gem out of Thailand. She had taken the gem while it was on display at a jewelry fair near northern Bangkok and replaced it with a fake. Security cameras at the fair captured the crime on tape, and authorities caught up with the woman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. She was arrested after an X-ray verified the gem was inside her. A man accompanying her was also arrested.

Authorities initially attempted to retrieve the gem by giving the woman laxatives, but had to resort to a more invasive procedure after the laxatives did not produce the diamond.

A colonoscope was used to retrieve the gem in a procedure which took about 12 minutes. “It’s a normal surgical procedure except this time there was a 10-million-baht diamond involved,” one of the doctor’s stated.

“She is leaving the hospital — she is fine now,” a lead investigator said.