MrBeast jet winner Jabari Brown briefly detained in Paraguay

Jabari Brown, a Jamaican-American pilot who won a private jet in a 2025 MrBeast YouTube challenge, was detained in Asunción after agents discovered 261.6 kilograms of marijuana on a separate aircraft. Paraguay’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) recovered the drugs from suitcases being unloaded from a Bombardier Challenger 604 that landed at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport on May 30 following stops reported to include California, Miami and Panama City.

SENAD described the shipment as a premium variety with high tetrahydrocannabinol content and estimated its wholesale value at about $3.6 million in Brazil. Three U.S. citizens on the flight — Marisol Rivas, Troy Anthony Vásquez and David Thomas Wise — were arrested on charges of international drug trafficking and unauthorized possession and remain in pretrial detention.

Brown, who uses the name Captain Treezy online, was serving as a contracted co-pilot and was detained at an Asunción hotel later the same night. Prosecutors ordered his release on June 1 after he provided flight logs and cooperated with investigators; officials determined there was insufficient evidence linking him to the drugs.

The seized aircraft was reportedly operated by Estonian entrepreneur Keith Siilats, a co-founder of the micromobility firm Bolt Mobility. Siilats departed Paraguay on a commercial flight before authorities discovered the cargo. Paraguayan prosecutors and SENAD are reviewing the jet’s rental agreement and other records to trace the chain of custody and any wider trafficking network.

Brown’s prize from the 2025 challenge was a Hawker 400XP valued at about $2.4 million; that Hawker was not involved in the Paraguay incident. The four people detained in the operation are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Paraguay has been used as a transit point for narcotics bound for Brazil and Europe. Authorities described the seizure and arrests as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt air-based trafficking routes. There is no public indication that Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, or his production company is connected to the incident.