A former champion of Indonesia’s top basketball league is now staring down the possibility of life in prison — or even execution — after being caught with cannabis-infused gummies he says were for treating Crohn’s disease.
Jarred Shaw, a 35-year-old American center from Dallas, Texas, was arrested in May after Indonesian authorities intercepted a package addressed to him containing 132 cannabis gummies worth about $400.
Now, he’s facing the death penalty or a lengthy prison sentence, banned for life from the league, and confined to a cramped jail cell near Jakarta.
“I use cannabis as a medicine,” Shaw told The Guardian in his first public comments since the arrest. “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.”
A sting operation and a “stupid mistake”
Shaw had just stepped down to the lobby of his apartment complex to collect what he believed was a much-needed medicinal package — but instead walked into a trap.
Ten undercover officers were waiting. A video later shared on social media showed the 6’11” athlete in a black T-shirt and shorts shouting for help as the officers swarmed him, as reported by the Daily Mail.
“I made a stupid mistake,” Shaw admits. He says he imported the gummies from Thailand after enduring previous basketball seasons in Indonesia without access to the drug.
But Indonesian law is among the strictest in the world when it comes to drugs.
In 2016, the country executed three foreign nationals by firing squad over narcotics convictions. Currently, more than 500 people — including nearly 100 foreigners — sit on death row, largely for drug-related offenses.
From MVP to inmate
Just last year, Shaw helped lead Prawira Bandung to victory in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL). Over three seasons, he racked up over 1,000 points. Today, he’s sitting in a prison cell with a dozen other men, awaiting a court date that has yet to be scheduled — five months after his arrest.
“I just turned 35 but I still feel young,” he said. “I would love to continue my basketball career.”
The arrest has tanked his career prospects. His team terminated his contract almost immediately, and the IBL handed him a lifetime ban.
Shaw says the situation has been blown out of proportion. Indonesian police claim he texted teammates saying he might share the candies, but Shaw insists they were for personal medical use, not distribution.
“There’s people telling me I’m about to spend the rest of my life in prison over some edibles,” he said. “I’ve never been through anything like this.” He called the charges — which claim he possessed nearly a kilo of cannabis due to the gummies’ total weight — “sick” and “unjust.”
“I didn’t have anything near that,” he said. “What they consider drugs, I consider medicine. It’s just different cultures.”
In the weeks after his arrest, Shaw says he hit rock bottom.
“I was at the lowest point in [my] life,” he said. “I felt helpless and alone. I didn’t want to wake up again.”
He says faith and the prison gym helped pull him out of that dark mental place. Now, he’s fundraising to cover growing legal costs — and hoping international attention can change his fate.
“Cannabis can’t kill you, but possessing it can”
Shaw’s case has drawn comparisons to that of Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who spent 10 months imprisoned in Russia in 2022 for cannabis vape cartridges. Griner was eventually released in a high-profile prisoner swap.
Stephanie Shepard, director of advocacy at the Last Prisoner Project (LPP), said Shaw’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,” she said. “These punishments run counter to international human rights standards.”
Even in the U.S., tens of thousands remain incarcerated for cannabis despite recreational legalization in nearly half of states and medical legalization in most others.
Donte West, an advocacy assistant at LPP handling Shaw’s case, added: “Cannabis can’t kill you, but possessing it can. We must get as much attention on this case in the hope that a positive resolution will set a powerful precedent. I’m dedicated to making sure Jarred gets home to his mother.”
Shaw’s longtime friend Bree Petruzio launched a fundraising page to support his legal battle.
“Jarred has always been one of the most generous and selfless people you could meet,” she wrote. “Jarred made a mistake. But I don’t believe that mistake should cost him his entire future.”