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A former American college basketball player was arrested in Indonesia last week on accusations he attempted to smuggle drugs into the country, authorities announced Thursday.
Jarred Shaw, who played for Oklahoma State and Utah State before a brief stint in the NBA G League, was taken into custody May 7 after police raided his apartment in Tangerang Regency, and seized 132 pieces of cannabis candy, said Ronald Sipayung, police chief at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
The arrest came following a tip from Soekarno-Hatta Airport custom officials, who said that the 34-year-old Shaw, a Dallas native, had received a suspicious package from Thailand, Sipayung told reporters.
Authorities said the package contained candies laced with Delta 9 THC.
Cannabis has been decriminalized in Thailand since November 2024. Under Indonesia’s strict anti-drug laws, Shaw faces up to life in prison or the death penalty if convicted, according to Sipayung.
“We are still running the investigation to uncover the international drugs network behind this case and to stop its distribution,” Sipayung said.
The Indonesian Basketball League Issued a Lifetime Ban for Jarred Shaw
Shaw had been playing for the Tangerang Hawk of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL), which he joined in 2022. Authorities said that during questioning, Shaw told police he intended to share the candies with his teammates.
Following his arrest, the Hawks terminated his contract. He was also issued a lifetime ban by the IBL.
“We don’t tolerate players, administrators or anyone in the field involved in drugs,” Indonesian Basketball League Chair Budisatrio Djiwandono said. “There is no room for drug users in the basketball world.”
Shaw was present at a news conference Wednesday wearing an orange T-shirt and mask with his hands tied. He did not issue a statement when presented by authorities.
“We are still running the investigation to uncover the international drugs network behind this case and to stop its distribution,” Sipayung said.
According to the Associated Press, citing data from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, approximately 530 people — including nearly 100 foreigners — are on death-row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related offenses. The country last carried out an execution in 2016.
Indonesia Latest Stop in Well-Traveled Career
Shaw began his college career at Oklahoma State in 2009 before transferring to Utah State in 2011. The 6-foot-11 forward from Carter High School in Dallas, was the Preseason WAC Newcomer of the Year in 2012. During his four-year college career (102 games, 57 starts), he averaged 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 50.8% from the floor.
In 2015, Shaw was selected by the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA Developmental League Draft but never appeared in an NBA game. He’s spent most of his professional career playing internationally, and was named an IBL All-Star in 2024
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