Two Chinese pearl technicians have been arrested in French Polynesia trying to smuggle more than 900 stolen pearls out of the country.
A black pearl and its shell. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
French border police said the arrests were made on New Year's Eve after a search at the airport in Tahiti revealed that the travellers had hundreds of black pearls in their bras.
The two women, who had been working at a pearl farm in French Polynesia, were bound for China via Japan.
After the discovery their employer lodged a complaint for theft with the police.
The stolen pearls are reportedly of high quality, with experts due to assess their value.
