He Smuggled the World's Largest Ruby — It Was the Last Thing He Ever Did

He found a 496-carat ruby worth $2 billion. Then the military came for him. This is the true story of the SLORC Ruby — and the man who paid the ultimate price for keeping it.Welcome back to GemCrack USA — where we crack open the world's most incredible gemstone stories.Today's story takes us deep into Myanmar's legendary Mogok Valley, home of the world's finest Pigeon's Blood Rubies. In the early 1990s, a miner struck something impossible: a single enormous block of ruby weighing 496 carats. But in Myanmar — then ruled by the SLORC military junta — every gemstone belongs to the state.One man, Than Htun, made a choice that would cost him everything.This is a story of greed, smuggling routes through Shan State, a failed hotel deal in Chiang Mai, and a ruby that became a regime's trophy — even appearing on a postage stamp. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — The $2 Billion Question 1:02 — The Discovery in Mogok Valley 2:22 — The Smuggling Route 3:40 — Capture at the Chiang Mai Hotel 5:00 — The Ruby's Fate & Legacy🔔 Subscribe for more true gemstone stories every week: cracked rocks, hidden history, and the secrets inside every stone.#SLORCRuby #Ruby #GemstoneStory #TrueStory #MogokValley #Documentary