Once a college hoops star, Jarred Shaw now fighting for his life in Indonesia.
Former Utah State basketball standout Jarred Shaw faces Indonesia’s toughest drug laws after his arrest in May for holding THC gummies — charges that could carry penalties of decades in prison, life imprisonment or even the death penalty if convicted.
13 March 2014 : Utah State Aggies center Jarred Shaw (5) tries to drive around the defense of San Diego State Aztecs forward Josh Davis (22) as he tries to poke the ball free during the game between Utah State Aggies and San Diego State Aztecs in the quarter finals of the Mountain West Conference tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Conner/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 35-year-old Dallas-born hooper, standing at 6-foot-11, went undrafted after college but built a long overseas career.
Indonesian authorities say customs officers in Tangerang, near Jakarta, seized a package containing 132 cannabis gummiest. Shaw was arrested shortly after receiving it.
Under Indonesian law, cannabis is considered one of the most strictly prohibited narcotics, carrying severe penalties for import or possession.
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Shaw says the gummies were for personal medical use to help manage chronic stomach pain.
Prosecutors, however, allege he violated import and narcotics statutes — charges that fall under Indonesia’s strict anti-smuggling laws.
13 March 2014 : Utah State Aggies center Jarred Shaw (5) during the game between Utah State Aggies and San Diego State Aztecs in the quarter finals of the Mountain West Conference tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Conner/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Shaw became a key piece of Prawira Bandung’s roster, helping the club win the 2023 Indonesian Basketball League championship.
The U.S. Embassy has confirmed awareness of the case but declined public comment.
The Indonesian Basketball League has banned Shaw indefinitely, and he remains in pre-trial detention with no court date set.
Shaw’s arrest recalls Brittney Griner’s 10 months in a Russian prison over a THC pen — another reminder that intent means little where cannabis is a crime. The difference: Griner made it home. Shaw’s fight has only begun.
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