Published in 1957, The Diamond Smugglers is Ian Fleming’s non-fiction account of the illicit international diamond trade. It grew from interviews with John Collard, a former MI5 officer who worked for the International Diamond Security Organisation under Sir Percy Sillitoe. Using the pseudonym John Blaize, Collard describes efforts to investigate networks moving illegally mined and stolen diamonds from Africa into overseas markets.

The book recounts undercover operations, informants, investigations and attempts to identify the routes and individuals involved in the trade. Particular attention is given to diamond-producing regions in Africa and to the international networks through which illicit stones were sold. Fleming presents the material in a narrative style influenced by his experience as a journalist and fiction writer, combining descriptions of intelligence work with an examination of organised smuggling. The result is a contemporary account of private security, criminal enterprise and the international diamond business during the 1950s.