Former college basketball star Jarred Shaw could face death penalty for alleged drug smuggling in Indonesia
A former college basketball star is facing the death penalty in Indonesia for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into the country following a raid on his home that uncovered nearly two pounds of cannabis-infused candies.Jarred Dwayne Shaw, who dazzled on the court for Oklahoma State and Utah State between 2009 and 2014, was in his third year playing for the Indonesian Basketball Association PERBASI when he was arrested at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport on May 7.Officials had raided Shaw’s apartment in the Tangerang Regency, west of the capital Jarkata, following a tip that claimed the basketball player had received a suspicious package from Thailand, airport police chief Ronald Sipayung told reporters.Indonesia has strict laws against cannabis, but Thailand decriminalized the psychoactive drug in November 2024.Indonesia is considered a major hub in the global drug smuggling operation, despite the harsh penalties for convicted criminals.“Indonesia’s border weaknesses exacerbate the country’s vulnerability to trafficking of persons, drugs and natural resources, as well as smuggling of migrants,” the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said.Police allegedly seized 132 pieces of the cannabis sweets that contained the class 1 narcotic Delta 9 ThC and weighed 30 ounces from Shaw’s apartment.The 20 packs of “Vita Bites” were sent from Bangkok and addressed to Shaw’s Casa De Parco Apartment, Gardenia Tower, Sipayung said, according to the Independent Observer.The Tangerang Hawks fired the 34-year-old Dallas native for breach of contract on Thursday.He also received a lifetime ban from the league.“We don’t tolerate players, administrators or anyone in the field involved in drugs.There is no room for drug users in the basketball world,” PERBASI Chair Budisatrio Djiwandono said.The Indonesian Basketball League doubled down on Djiwandono’s ruling, warning potential violators of similar punishments.“IBL together with PERBASI will enforce a blackl...