Romancing the Stoner: Man Trades $160,000 Diamond for Weed

Although his name is not Curtis, authorities say an Arizona man unloaded a genuine diamond earlier this week in exchange for a little weed. Twenty-year-old Walter Earl Morrison was arrested and subsequently fired from his job at UPS after police say he stole a package containing a diamond worth $160,000, which he then proceeded to trade on the street for a double dime.

Reports indicate that Morrison managed to get his hands on diamond during a recent shift unloading cargo planes at the Sky Harbor Airport. It is here that police say the desperate man swiped a package of what he believed to be full of cash and then used his clothing to conceal and smuggle it out of the facility undetected.

However, once Morrison had the opportunity to examine the contents of the package, he was disappointed to discover it did not contain anything resembling cash — only a fat, shinny diamond that just so happened to be valued at more than ten times his annual salary. Yet, not having any experience in the jewelry fencing industry, Morrison took to the streets where he found someone willing to trade the stone for $20 worth of marijuana.

Meanwhile, some of the more honest UPS workers noticed the package was missing and contacted the police. Of course, it did not take long before the law showed up on Morrison’s doorstep prepared to search every orifice of his body for the missing diamond.

During the shakedown, Morrison confessed that he had traded the stone for a small amount of marijuana, which did not please any of the parties interested in the diamond’s whereabouts. Yet, a spokesperson for UPS told ABC affiliate KNXV-TV that the diamond has since been recovered and is now in possession of its rightful owner.

As for Morrison, police charged him with felony theft, and as you might have guessed, he was also fired from his position at UPS. He is scheduled to appear in court later this week.