In a case reminiscent of WNBA player Brittney Griner’s high profile Russian imprisonment, a U.S. citizen and professional basketball player in Indonesia is facing the ultimate penalty for allegedly illegally importing cannabis gummies to his residence.
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Jarred Shaw, 35, reportedly shipped 132 gummies to his house to manage the symptoms of Crohn’s disease in May. But when the package arrived, so did 10 undercover police officers. A video on social media captures Shaw shouting for help as the group of officers attempts to arrest him.
Shaw is now sitting in pre-trial detention and is banned for life from the Indonesia Basketball League. Before his ban, the forward was a key player for Prawira Bandung, scoring more than 1,000 points over three seasons.
“There’s people telling me I’m about to spend the rest of my life in prison over some edibles,” he told the Guardian. “I’ve never been through anything like this…They’re making it seem like I’m this big drug dealer. Why would I bring the candy here to sell? It was for personal use.”
Shaw said he turned to cannabis to relieve intolerable pain, along with the difficulty eating and using the bathroom caused by Crohn’s disease. However, Indonesian police claim Shaw sent text messages to teammates saying he planned to share the gummies with them.
“We are still running the investigation to uncover the international drugs network behind this case and to stop its distribution,” Ronald Sipayung, the Soekarno-Hatta Airport police chief said.
On social media, some users have pointed out that he should have thought of the Griner debacle before attempting to get cannabis products into his possession.
“Everybody who traveling overseas, Brittney Griner should have been a heads up to watch what the f*ck y’all taking and watch what the f*ck y’all traveling with. Because the rules don’t apply over here that apply over there,” said TikToker @vertcrzyasl24.
“I thought everybody probably would have learned they lesson after Brittney Griner, but, everybody always thinks they smarter than the average bear…Y’all Black folk ain’t learn y’all damn lesson yet, going over there to them people goddamn place, thinking that y’all the kings over there. Y’all are not the kings,” said TikToker @ayodimples.
Shaw was recently seen at a press conference in handcuffs wearing an orange prison-issue T-shirt and a black face mask. He stood with his back to the audience as police chiefs unveiled the cannabis gummies, weighing 869 grams in total, worth $400.
He is currently fundraising to cover rising legal fees and has not yet appeared in court despite being arrested five months ago.
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