Jabari Brown, the young Jamaican-American pilot who won a private jet in a 2025 MrBeast YouTube challenge, was briefly detained in Paraguay over the weekend
It links to a 577-pound marijuana shipment seized from a separate aircraft at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport near Asunción.
From Viral Challenge Winner to Paraguay Holding Cell
Brown, who goes by “Captain Treezy” online, beat 99 other pilots in MrBeast’s “100 Pilots Fight For A Private Jet” challenge. He took home a Hawker 400XP valued at around $2.4 million.
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That aircraft was not involved in the Paraguay incident.
Investigators say the jet at the center of the case was a Bombardier Challenger 604 that landed at Asunción on May 30, after stops that reportedly included California, Miami, and Panama City.
What Authorities Found
Paraguay’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat, known as SENAD, recovered 261.6 kilograms, or roughly 577 pounds, of marijuana from suitcases being unloaded from the jet.
The agency described the cargo as a “premium” variety with high tetrahydrocannabinol content, valuing it at about $3.6 million at wholesale rates in neighboring Brazil, where the drugs were reportedly destined.
Three U.S. citizens travelling on the flight, identified as Marisol Rivas, Troy Anthony Vásquez, and David Thomas Wise, were arrested on charges of international drug trafficking and unauthorized possession.
Brown, who was serving as co-pilot, was detained later that night at an Asunción hotel.
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The aircraft was reportedly operated by Estonian entrepreneur Keith Siilats, a co-founder of the now-defunct micromobility firm Bolt Mobility. Siilats is said to have left Paraguay on a commercial flight before the seizure was carried out.
Brown Released, Investigation Continues
Prosecutors ordered Brown’s release on June 1 after he handed over flight logs and cooperated with investigators. Officials cited insufficient evidence linking him to the contents of the passengers’ luggage.
“Jabari Stephen Brown was released this Monday, June 1, 2026, by decision of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Paraguay. The authorities determined that, in his role as a contracted co-pilot, he had no knowledge of the drugs (261 kg of premium marijuana) that were in the passengers’ luggage,” one local reported.
Rivas, Vásquez, and Wise remain in pretrial detention. Authorities are still examining the aircraft’s chain of custody, its rental agreement, and the broader trafficking network the flight may have served.
Paraguay has become an increasingly active transit point for narcotics moving between South America and consumer markets in Brazil and Europe.
A Difficult Stretch for the MrBeast Brand
The Paraguay headlines arrive during an unusually rough patch for MrBeast outside of YouTube.
Investigative reporter Coffeezilla has scrutinized MrBeast over a string of token endorsements, and a private investigator’s report alleged the creator made roughly $23 million in crypto insider trading profits through hidden wallets.
His commercial bets have run on a different track. MrBeast has filed trademark paperwork for a crypto-enabled banking app called MrBeast Financial, and Tom Lee’s BitMine recently put $200 million into Beast Industries’ broader business.
The creator has also publicly warned followers about AI deepfake scams using his likeness.
There is no public indication that MrBeast or his production company has any reported tie to the Paraguay seizure. All four detainees are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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