US sports star faces DEATH PENALTY in foreign country after 'stupid mistake'

A US Basketball player is facing life in prison or even the death penalty after he was caught in possession of $400 worth of cannabis gummies. Jarred Shaw was arrested five months ago by undercover police officers in Indonesia.

The 35-year-old, who is originally from Dallas, Texas played college basketball for Utah State Aggies before joining Santa Cruz Warriors in the 2015 NBA development league draft.

He went on to play the sport in several countries, including Tunisia, Argentina, Thailand, Uruguay and Venezuela before moving to Indonsia in 2022 to represent Prawira Bandung. The 6ft 11" power forward then moved to Satria Muda Peramina before leaving for Tangerang Hawks in 2024.

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Shaw was arrested in May after 10 undercover officers intercepted a collection of 132 cannabis gummies that had been illegally imported from Thailand. Shaw had gone to collect the package from an apartment complex in Tangerang Regency.

He was subsequently sacked by Tangerang Hawks and slapped with a lifetime ban from the Indonesian Basketball League. However, he now has a more serious situation to contend with.

Indonesia's zero tolerance towards illegal drugs is renowned. There are more than 500 people on death row in the country, with most of them linked to drugs offences. In 2016, executions were carried out by firing squads.

Shaw claims that he used the cannabis gummies for medicinal purposes as he has Crohn's disease. In an interview with the Guardian from his prison cell, he said: "I use cannabis as a medicine.

"I have an inflammatory condition called Crohn's disease that's incurable. There's no medicine apart from cannabis that stops my stomach from aching.

"I don't use it to have fun and go party. With my stomach condition, sometimes it's hard for me to keep food down or go to the toilet. It just soothes the pain a little bit.

"There's people telling me I'm about to spend the rest of my life in prison over some edibles. I've never been through anything like this."

Shaw went on to admit that he had made a "stupid mistake" and has now been left feeling "helpless and alone" with his mental health suffering seriously from the whole episode.

The fallen basketball star, who is reportedly sharing a cell with as many as 12 other prisoners, is still waiting for his day in court, but following his arrest, Soekarno-Hatta Airport police chief, Ronald Sipayung, told reporters that, if found guilty, Shaw could face a life behind bars or even the death penalty.

As per Lad Bible He said: “We are still running the investigation to uncover the international drugs network behind this case and to stop its distribution."

Stephanie Shepard, director of advocacy at Last Prisoner Project (LPP), is fighting for Shaw's release. She said: "Jarred's case is not an isolated incident. Around the world, people are serving extreme sentences for non-violent cannabis offences that pose no threat to public safety.

"These punishments run counter to international human rights standards."