On Thursday, police revealed the arrest of an American basketball player in the Indonesian league, accused of an attempted illegal drug smuggling operation into the country. The Southeast Asian nation enforces extremely stringent drug laws, with convicted smugglers occasionally facing the death penalty by firing squad.
The player, Jarred Dwayne Shaw, a 34-year-old from Dallas, Texas, was apprehended on May 7. Police raided his apartment in Tangerang regency, located just outside Jakarta, the capital city, and confiscated 132 pieces of cannabis candies. Ronald Sipayung, the police chief at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, disclosed these details.
The arrest stemmed from a tip received by the airport's customs authorities, which indicated that Shaw had received a suspicious air-freight package from Thailand. It's noteworthy that Thailand decriminalized cannabis in November 2024. Under Indonesia's stringent anti-drug laws, Shaw faces a potential life sentence or even the death penalty if convicted, Sipayung emphasized.
A video, which went viral on social media, purportedly captured Shaw, clad in a black T-shirt and shorts, resisting as police officers pushed him away. As he was about to be apprehended, he cried out, "Help… help!"
Since 2022, Shaw has played for several clubs in the Indonesian Basketball League and inked a contract with Tangerang Hawk last year. During interrogation, he informed the police that he intended to share the cannabis candies with his fellow basketball players, according to Sipayung. He further revealed that the candy contained a total gross weight of 869 grams (30.6 ounces) of illegal cannabinoid concealed within a package.
"We are still conducting a thorough investigation to uncover the international drug network behind this case and halt its distribution," Sipayung stated.
At a news conference held on Wednesday, Shaw appeared in an orange detainee T-shirt and a mask, with his hands tied. He did not utter a single word when presented by the authorities.
Tikky Suwantikno, the manager of Tangerang Hawks, expressed regret over Shaw's actions on Thursday and confirmed that the club had immediately terminated his contract due to a breach of terms.
Budisatrio Djiwandono, the chairman of the Indonesian Basketball League, announced that Shaw has been banned from playing for life. "We have zero tolerance for players, administrators, or anyone in the field involved with drugs. There's absolutely no room for drug users in the basketball world," Djiwandono emphasized.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Indonesia serves as a significant drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws globally. This is partly because international drug syndicates target its youthful population.
Data from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections revealed that approximately 530 individuals are currently on death row in Indonesia, predominantly for drug-related offenses, including 96 foreigners. The last executions in Indonesia, involving an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
