Who is Jarred Shaw? Ex-US basketball star facing potential death penalty in Indonesia in drugs case

Jarred Dwayne Shaw, a 34-year-old American basketball player, is under arrest in Indonesia on charge of attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the Southeast Asian country. Shaw -- who is originally from Dallas in the US state of Texas -- faces various penalties, including life imprisonment or death penalty, if convicted.
Indonesia is known for its stringent anti-drug laws and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed by a firing squad.
Shaw was arrested on May 7 after police raided his apartment in Tangerang regency, close to the national capital Jakarta, as over 130 cannabis candies were seized.

Career highlights
Shaw played college basketball at Oklahoma State University and Utah State University, before being selected by the Santa Cruz Warriors in the 2015 NBA Development League Draft. He has since been part of various leagues around the world. In the Indonesian Basketball League, he has played for several teams since 2022, most recently being roped in by the Tangerang Hawks.
After the drugs case, Hawks terminated the contract while the league handed him a lifetime ban.
"We don't tolerate players, administrators or anyone in the field involved in drugs. There is no room for drug users in the basketball world," Budisatrio Djiwandono, chairman of the Indonesian Basketball Association, said.

Drug crimes in Indonesia
In Indonesia, more than 500 people are currently on death row, most of them for drug-related crimes. The number includes close to 100 foreigners, according to data from the country's ministry of immigration and corrections. Indonesia's last executions -- of an Indonesian and three foreign nationals -- were carried out in July 2016.