Texan basketball player jailed in Indonesia seeks help over health decline

Jarred Shaw says his health is slipping fast in an Indonesian prison after a case that began with 132 cannabis gummies he says he brought in to ease Crohn’s disease symptoms. The 35-year-old Texan, who had been playing for the Tangerang Hawks in the Indonesian Basketball League, was convicted in December and sentenced to 26 months in Tangerang.

Shaw told Reuters by phone from a cell he shares with seven other people that detention has been “disastrous” for his health and that he wants international pressure on Indonesian authorities before his condition worsens further. “I’ve been through a lot, man,” he said. Shaw said he was apologetic for breaking the law, but believed the punishment was harming him as he tried to get back to his family and his mother.

The case began when police arrested Shaw on May 14, 2025, in the Tangerang area after a narcotics investigation at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, according to ANTARA News. Police initially said the case involved 8.69 grams of cannabis, while ANTARA later reported that the alleged cannabis content in the gummies was around 21 grams. Shaw admitted importing the gummies and said he had used them for relief from Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory condition.

Indonesia’s drug laws are among the toughest in Southeast Asia, and Reuters noted that drug trafficking can carry the death penalty. Under chapter XV of Indonesia’s Law No. 35 of 2009, certain drug crimes can be punished by death. The U.S. Department of State warns that even possession of illegal drugs in Indonesia can lead to arrest, imprisonment, fines, deportation or the death penalty, and says the penalties for bringing in even small amounts of illegal drugs are often far beyond those typical in the United States.

Shaw’s case has also shaken his basketball career. ANTARA reported that the Tangerang Hawks terminated his contract after the arrest, and Indonesian Basketball League director Junas Miradiarsyah said Shaw was blacklisted by the league. Hawks coach Antonius Joko Endratmo described Shaw as dedicated and wished him well despite the case. Shaw, who has played for 20 teams around the world, has become a stark example of how a medical decision at home can turn into a legal crisis abroad, especially when severe drug laws collide with illness, detention and the risks facing foreign defendants in Indonesia.