Jabari Brown, the young pilot who shot to internet fame after winning a private jet in a MrBeast YouTube competition, recently found himself at the centre of an international drug trafficking investigation in Paraguay. However, authorities have since cleared him of any wrongdoing and released him after determining he had no connection to the narcotics found on board the aircraft.

According to local outlet ABC Color, Paraguay’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) seized a Bombardier Challenger 604 private jet at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport near Asuncion on Saturday. The aircraft had reportedly arrived from Miami, making a stop in Panama City before landing in Paraguay.

During an inspection, officials discovered 261.6 kilograms of high-THC marijuana concealed inside black bags designed to resemble musical instrument cases. Local reports said the three American passengers claimed they were transporting musical equipment. Citing estimates from SENAD, magazine High Times reported that the seized drugs could fetch roughly $3.6 million, based on an estimated value of $14,000 per kilogram in neighbouring Brazil.

Pilot who won a private jet in MrBeast video arrested in Paraguay

Captain Treezy, known for winning a private jet in a MrBeast challenge, was reportedly among four Americans detained in connection with a drug seizure valued at around $3.6 million pic.twitter.com/n46nwQFUn6

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Brown, 21, was serving as the aircraft’s co-pilot and was detained at a hotel in Asuncion on Saturday night. High Times reported that he became the fourth person arrested in the case. Three other Americans—39-year-old Marisol Rivas of New York, 42-year-old Troy Anthony Vasquez of Florida, and 58-year-old David Thomas Wise of California—were also taken into custody and later charged with international drug trafficking, according to the Associated Press.

SENAD identified the aircraft’s main pilot as 47-year-old Keith Siilats, an Estonian national who has been described as a co-founder of the US-based micromobility company Bolt Mobility.

Known online as ‘Captain Treezy’, Jabari Brown gained widespread attention after winning MrBeast’s 2025 YouTube challenge, 100 Pilots Fight For A Private Jet. The competition saw 100 pilots battle through a series of aviation-themed endurance challenges for the grand prize—a Hawker 400XP private jet worth $2.4 million.

At just 20 years old, Brown emerged victorious and reportedly planned to use the aircraft to start his own charter aviation business. Importantly, the Hawker 400XP he won through the MrBeast challenge was not connected to the Paraguay investigation.

Paraguayan prosecutors ultimately concluded that Brown had no knowledge of the drugs being transported and was not involved in the smuggling operation. According to KTVB7, investigators found that he fully cooperated with authorities throughout the inquiry, leading to his release.

Following his release, Brown shared a message on Instagram reflecting on the ordeal.

“You may not know why now, but you’ll understand later has been a scripture I leaned on for years and it has come to the front line of my life again,” he wrote. “Anybody who knows me knows who I truly am along with what I would and wouldn’t do.”

In another post, he added: “I have come to learn that there are a lot of evil and selfish people in this world who care about no one but themselves and don’t care how their actions can affect others who are completely clueless to their motives.”