One of those entities, Belpearl Myanmar, operates a pearl farm with two adjacent locations in the country. Exposing the Canadian family that fuelled a civil war with ‘blood pearls’A company with Canadian directors funnelled valuable pearls to Myanmar’s brutal military regime long after the 2021 military coup that sparked a bloody civil war — despite sanctions imposed by Canada and its allies. In response to CBC's queries, Belpearl Myanmar said our former Canadian shareholders were in compliance with Canadian sanctions law. Belpearl Myanmar and Belpearl Auctions both told CBC no Myanmar pearls were shipped to Canada, but they couldn't speak to others' exports. In a written response, Belpearl Toronto denied importing any Myanmar pearls into Canada since the 2021 coup.

Source: CBC News March 11, 2026 22:36 UTC