While Brittney Griner’s 294-day stint in a Russian prison for having vape cartridges on her person while traveling back to the United States, garnered plenty of sympathy, support and intervention by the US government, local officials and the WNBA, former Utah State basketball player Jarred Shaw hasn’t been as fortunate.
American Basketball Player Arrested In Indonesia For $400 Worth Weed Gummies Shipped To Apartment
Shaw, an American basketball player in Indonesia, was caught up when he stepped out of his apartment complex in early 2025 to pick up a package containing illegally imported cannabis gummies. It was medicine to treat his Crohn’s disease.
Arriving with the package were 10 undercover police officers. A video of his harrowing arrest shows Shaw confused and yelling for “help” as Indonesian police swarm him.
The police paraded him in front of local media and made him climb onto a press conference podium and made him stand there in humiliation with his back to the audience as they read the charges against him.
Why Was IBL’s American Basketball Star Jarred Shaw Arrested?
Indonesian police claim they intercepted a package containing THC-infused gummies sent to him by a woman in Thailand worth about $400. The story takes a strange twist when the police accuse the basketball player of planning to illegally profit from the gummies and share them with other players. Possession alone in Indonesia can lead to life in prison.
Shaw’s younger brother told the media they are still trying to get more information about his arrest and have spoken with him.
The 6-foot-11 player out of Dallas’ Carter High School and Utah State went undrafted in 2014 but found success overseas in the Indonesian Basketball League, just before his arrest in Tangerang Indonesia just outside Jakarta.
Prior to this disaster, Shaw was a critical member of Prawira Bandung, who won the Indonesia Basketball League (IBL) championship in 2023. Shaw has scored over 1,000 points across three seasons, enjoying a professional career that has taken him around the globe to Tunisia, Lebanon, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
He accomplished all of this despite suffering from the chronic inflammatory bowel disease that damages the digestive tract. Similar to many other victims of the debilitating disease, he found that cannabis helped alleviate his symptoms. He used the substance legally for medical purposes in Thailand, his home during the IBL offseason.
When the season kicked off, Shaw says he made a “stupid mistake” and ordered a package of 132 cannabis gummies to be delivered to his apartment in Indonesia, leading to his dramatic arrest that changed him from basketball star to overnight criminal facing life.
Shaw Found Guilty Of Drug Possession: Escapes With 26-Month Sentence
Shaw doesn’t have to face the firing squad, but he was recently found guilty of drug possession. A forgiving judge cleared him of the more serious offense of trafficking. In December, Shaw was sentenced to 26 months in jail, time served and a $50,000 fine.
Shaw spoke to The Guardian via telephone, as he sits in a prison west of Jakarta, his basketball face just a memory. “I wish I could go back and change my actions but it was definitely a relief to know I wasn’t getting the death penalty.”
Shaw’s journey was nothing short of a horror story, similar to Brittney Griner’s, but worse. He was first held at an overcapacity prison where a fire in 2021 had claimed the lives of over 40 inmates.
Shaw Hasn’t Been To Hospital Despite Crohn’s Disease Worsening
Currently, Shaw is in another prison with better accomodations. He shares a cell with four other inmates, but his conditions are still poor, especially for someone with serious health problems.
“The food is a really big issue for me,” Shaw tells the Guardian. “I have to eat pretty much clean with my Crohn’s, but (the food’s) not healthy.”
Back in November, following his first six months in jail, a doctor assessed that Shaw was suffering from abdominal pains, mild anemia, and tested positive for E coli infection, which causes diarrhea, bleeding and high fevers. The doctor also noted that Shaw was previously diagnosed with ulcer colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease.
Shaw Pleads For Help From Higher Power To Get Medical Treatment: People WIth Crohn’s Disease Live With ‘Increased Risk Of Colorectal Cancer’
Shaw says that when he was arrested he weighed 245 pounds and he is now down to 210. According to reports, Shaw is still awaiting admission to the hospital for several days of testing that’s needed based on the doctor’s recommendations. He needs a colonoscopy and intestinal ultrasound.
If Shaw doesn’t get treated soon, he may not make it to his release date. There’s no one advocating for him or aiding him in getting treated.
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“We’re trying to get them to understand.” Shaw continues. “Even though there’s no cure for (Crohn’s), you have to treat it, or it could get worse. Hopefully someone with higher power can at least help me get to the hospital.”