Jakarta, Indonesia - Police said Thursday that an American basketball player in the Indonesian League was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle illegal drugs into the country.

Southeast Asian countries have extremely strict drug laws, and sometimes convicted smugglers are fired.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police Chief Ronald Sipayung said Dallas Shaw, 34, of Dallas, Texas, was arrested on May 7 after police raided his apartment at Tangerang Regency outside the capital Jakarta and occupied 132 pieces of marijuana candy.

Sipalin said the arrest was followed by a tip from the airport customs, reporting that Xiao received suspicious airway packages from Thailand. Sipayung said marijuana has been legalized in Thailand under Indonesia's anti-drug laws.

Videos circulating on social media allegedly showed Xiao, wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, resisting his resistance when he was pushed away by the police and shouted "Help... Help!" When he is about to be arrested.

Shaw has played for several clubs in the Indonesian Basketball League since 2022 and signed a contract with Tangerang Hawk last year. According to Sipayung, he told police during the interrogation that he wanted to share cannabis candy with other basketball players.

The total weight of these candies is 869 grams (30.6 ounces) of illegal cannabinoids, he said.

"We are still investigating to reveal the international drug network behind the case and stop its distribution," Sipayung said.

When authorities showed up at a press conference on Wednesday, Shaw made no statements, wearing an orange T-shirt in detained and masked with his hands.

Tangerang Hawks manager Tikky Suwantikno told reporters on Thursday they regretted everything Shaw did and the club fired him immediately when he breached his contract.

Its chairman Budisatrio Djiwandono said the Indonesian basketball league banned Shaw from playing for life.

"We don't tolerate players, administrators, or anyone involved in drugs. There is no room for drug users in the basketball world," Djiwandono said.

Despite having the world's strictest drug laws, Indonesia is a major drug hub, partly because international drug groups target its young population, the UN Office for Drugs and Crime said.

Data from the Immigration and Corrections Department shows that about 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mainly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners. Indonesia's last execution was conducted in July 2016, with three foreigners.