American basketball player arrested in Indonesia for alleged drug smuggling, could face death penalty

An American hoops subordinate for the Indonesian league was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle amerciable drugs to the country, constabulary said Thursday.

The Southeast Asian state has highly strict cause laws, and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed by firing squad.

Jarred Dwayne Shaw, 34, from Dallas, Texas, was arrested May 7, aft constabulary raided his flat successful Tangerang regency, conscionable extracurricular the capital, Jakarta, and seized 132 pieces of cannabis candies, said Ronald Sipayung, the Soekarno-Hatta Airport constabulary chief.

The apprehension followed a extremity from the airport’s customs that reported Shaw had received a suspicious airway bundle from Thailand, Sipayung said. Cannabis has been decriminalized successful Thailand since November 2024. Under Indonesia’s anti-drug laws, Shaw faces up to beingness condemnation oregon decease punishment if recovered guilty, Sipayung said.

A video circulating connected societal media purportedly showed Shaw, wearing a achromatic T-shirt and shorts, resisting arsenic he’s being pushed distant by constabulary and shouting “Help … help!” erstwhile helium was astir to beryllium arrested.

Shaw has played for respective clubs successful the Indonesian Basketball League since 2022, and signed a declaration with Tangerang Hawk past year. He told constabulary during interrogation that helium wanted to stock the cannabis candy with chap hoops players, according to Sipayung.

He said the candy contained a full gross value of 869 grams (30.6 ounces) of amerciable cannabinoid wrong a package.

“We are inactive moving the probe to uncover the planetary drugs web down this lawsuit and to halt its distribution,” Sipayung said.

Shaw did not marque immoderate connection erstwhile helium was presented by the authorities astatine a quality league Wednesday wearing a detainee orangish T-shirt and a disguise with his hands tied.

Tangerang Hawks’ manager, Tikky Suwantikno, told reporters connected Thursday that they regretted what had been done by Shaw and the nine had instantly fired him arsenic helium has breached the contract.

The Indonesian Basketball League banned Shaw from playing for life, said its chair, Budisatrio Djiwandono.

“We don’t tolerate players, administrators oregon anyone successful the tract progressive successful drugs. There is nary country for cause users successful the hoops world,” Djiwandono said.

The United Nations Office connected Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is simply a large drug-smuggling hub contempt having immoderate of the strictest cause laws successful the world, successful portion due to the fact that planetary cause syndicates people its young population.

About 530 radical are connected decease enactment successful Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections’ information showed. Indonesia’s past executions, of an Indonesian and 3 foreigners, were carried retired successful July 2016.

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