A story that once sounded like peak internet fantasy has taken a very real turn.
Jabari Brown, the young pilot who went viral after winning a private jet in a MrBeast challenge, was arrested in Paraguay after authorities said he was one of the people connected to a private aircraft where agents found more than 261.6 kilos of marijuana. According to Paraguay’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat, known as SENAD, the plane had arrived from Miami and landed at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, the country’s main airport, located outside Asunción.
The arrest instantly turned the case into a headline machine: a viral YouTube winner, a private jet, several U.S. nationals, cannabis authorities described as high-THC, and what investigators suspect may have been a route into the Brazilian market.
Authorities said Brown was arrested Saturday night at a hotel in Asunción, becoming the fourth person detained in connection with the case. Three other U.S. nationals identified by Paraguayan media as Marisol Rivas, Anthony Vásquez, and David Thomas Wise were also arrested after agents discovered cannabis hidden in luggage being unloaded from the aircraft. Local outlet ABC Color reported that prosecutors filed international drug trafficking charges against the detainees.
From Viral Aviation Dream to Alleged Trafficking Case
Brown became known online after appearing in MrBeast’s 2025 aviation challenge, 100 Pilots Fight For A Private Jet, where pilots competed for a Hawker 400XP valued at around $2.4 million. At the time, the story was framed as a feel-good internet moment: a 20-year-old pilot beating out 99 other contestants and walking away with a multimillion-dollar aircraft.
In the video, the contestants were put through a series of physically and mentally exhausting aviation-themed challenges before the final winner took the jet. Brown, who has also been known online as Treezy, reportedly hoped to use the aircraft to launch a charter business.
Just months later, his name is now tied to a very different kind of aviation story.
SENAD said the seized marijuana was a “premium” variety with a high THC content. Authorities stated the shipment was found as several suitcases were being transferred from the aircraft to a vehicle believed to be headed toward Asunción.
The agency estimated the cargo could be worth around $14,000 per kilo in the Brazilian market. At 261.6 kilos, that would place the shipment’s estimated value at roughly $3.6 million.
Who Owned the Plane?
One of the stranger twists in the case is that Brown was not identified by Paraguayan authorities as the alleged owner of the aircraft.
SENAD said the aircraft was allegedly owned and piloted by Keith Siilats, an Estonian citizen whom the agency identified as a co-founder of Bolt Mobility in the United States. Paraguayan outlet Última Hora also reported that Siilats was believed to have piloted the aircraft and left the country before the operation that led to the seizure and arrests.
That detail leaves several major questions open, including who organized the flight, who owned the cargo, and what role each person aboard the aircraft played.
As of now, there is no public indication from authorities that MrBeast or his company had any connection to the case beyond Brown’s prior appearance in the viral competition. The connection is a bit more cultural than legal: Brown’s internet fame is what made the arrest travel far beyond Paraguayan crime pages.
Editor’s note: This is a developing case. All charges and allegations described in this story are based on statements from Paraguayan authorities and local media reports. The individuals named are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. There is no public indication that MrBeast or his company had any involvement in the case beyond Jabari Brown’s prior appearance in the YouTube competition.
