Text message basketball player allegedly sent to teammates before arrest as he faces death penalty for 'stupid mistake'
The text message a basketball player sent to his teammates before his arrest on drug charges in Indonesia has been revealed.
Jarred Shaw, a US born basketball star playing in the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) for Prawira Bandung, was arrested over five months ago after police discovered him with $400 worth of drugs.
Although the 35-year-old has claimed that the cannabis gummies are purely medicinal, and something he uses regularly when living in Thailand during the off-season, they are strictly prohibited in Indonesia, to the extent where he could now face the death penalty or a hefty prison sentence.
He isn't the only one to face this potential punishment, as one UK grandmother has remained on death row in the Asian country for over a decade now after she was found guilty of smuggling drugs in from Bangkok, while another British trio narrowly avoided a firing squad after they used Angel Delight sachets to transport illegal substances.
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The six-foot-ten forward has been sharing a cramped prison cell with as many as 12 other men for nearly half a year now, and he's spoken out about why he believes the prospective punishment is far too harsh.
He told the Guardian: “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.
"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.”
And now, the alleged text that Shaw sent to his teammates following his arrest has been revealed, with the Texas native also having his contract with Prawira Bandung terminated in the wake of the drug charges that were brought against him.
Although Shaw claimed that the cannabis gummies were only for his own personal use, to treat his Crohn's disease, Indonesian police have claimed that his text messages suggested he would share them with teammates.
Shaw said: “What they consider drugs, I consider medicine. It’s just different cultures.”
After Shaw’s arrest, Ronald Sipayung, the Soekarno-Hatta Airport police chief, told reporters that the American could face life in prison or even the death penalty if found guilty. “We are still running the investigation to uncover the international drugs network behind this case and to stop its distribution,” he said.
However, Stephanie Shepard, director of advocacy at Last Prisoner Project (LPP), is just one person fighting for Shaw's release, with the basketball player also launching a fundraising campaign.
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."
Topics: Basketball, Drugs
James Moorhouse