A US basketball star is facing a potential life sentence or even the death penalty after being caught with £300 worth of cannabis gummies in Indonesia. Jarred Shaw, originally from Dallas, Texas, was arrested five months ago by undercover police officers.
The 35-year-old played college basketball for Utah State Aggies before joining the Santa Cruz Warriors in the 2015 NBA development league draft. He then went on to play professionally in several countries, including Tunisia, Argentina, Thailand, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
In 2022, he moved to Indonesia to represent Prawira Bandung. The towering 6ft 11" power forward later transferred to Satria Muda Peramina before signing for Tangerang Hawks in 2024. Shaw's arrest came in May when 10 undercover officers intercepted a delivery of 132 cannabis gummies that had been illegally imported from Thailand.
Shaw had gone to collect the package from an apartment complex in Tangerang Regency. Following his arrest, he was promptly sacked by Tangerang Hawks and hit with a lifetime ban from the Indonesian Basketball League. However, he now faces a far more serious predicament.
Indonesia is notorious for its zero-tolerance policy towards illegal drugs. Over 500 people currently sit on death row in the country, the majority of whom are there for drug-related offences. In 2016, executions were carried out by firing squads. Shaw insists that he used the cannabis gummies for medicinal reasons due to his Crohn's disease. Speaking to the Guardian from his prison cell, he stated: "I use cannabis as a medicine.
"I have an inflammatory condition called Crohn's disease that's incurable. There's no medicine apart from cannabis that stops my stomach from aching. I don't use it to have fun and go party. With my stomach condition, sometimes it's hard for me to keep food down or go to the toilet. It just soothes the pain a little bit.
"There's people telling me I'm about to spend the rest of my life in prison over some edibles. I've never been through anything like this."
Shaw confessed that he had made a "stupid mistake" and now feels "helpless and alone", with his mental health seriously affected by the entire ordeal. The disgraced basketball star, who is reportedly sharing a cell with up to 12 other inmates, is still awaiting his court date.
However, following his arrest, Soekarno-Hatta Airport police chief, Ronald Sipayung, informed reporters that if found guilty, Shaw could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty. According to Lad Bible, he said: "We are still running the investigation to uncover the international drugs network behind this case and to stop its distribution."
Stephanie Shepard, director of advocacy at Last Prisoner Project (LPP), is battling for Shaw's freedom. She stated: "Jarred's case is not an isolated incident.
"Around the world, people are serving extreme sentences for non-violent cannabis offences that pose no threat to public safety. These punishments run counter to international human rights standards."