ORLANDO, Fla. — A suspected thief gulped down two pairs of diamond earrings during his arrest on the side of a Florida Panhandle highway last week, detectives say, leaving them with the unenviable task of waiting to “collect” the Tiffany & Co. jewelry worth nearly $770,000.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers reported arresting a Texas man wanted in Orlando after he swallowed four stolen diamonds valued at nearly $770,000.

He said he was a representative of an Orlando Magic basketball player before being taken to a VIP room and shown jewelry.