Man who won MrBeast's private jet arrested for 'smuggling $3.6 million of marijuana' on a plane
The pilot who won MrBeast's $2 million private jet was arrested in connection to a drugs bust of over 261 kilos of marijuana worth $3.6 million.
Jamaican-born pilot Jabari Brown fought off 99 other airmen in last year's MrBeast challenge, consisting of hauling an aeroplane, surviving jet blasts and skydiving.
Brown was the youngest pilot in the competition at 20, and was able to hold onto a jet in the middle of a freeway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for over 19 hours in the final.
On Sunday (31 May), the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) reported that Brown had been arrested amongst three others.
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Known as Captain Treezy online, he was among the four Americans who were detained by authorities.
Minister of SENAD Jalil Rachid, however, confirmed in a press conference that Brown has now been released.
He said that the Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that he had no involvement in the incident, as 261.6kg of high-THC marijuana was found on a private aircraft.
The plane, which was not the one Brown won in the MrBeast competition, arrived from Miami at Paraguay’s Silvio Pettirossi International Airport on Friday.
The other individuals have been named as Marisol Rivas, 39, originally from New York; Troy Anthony Vásquez, 42, a native of Florida; David Thomas Wise, 58, a resident of California.
Anti-drug prosecutor Cubilla charged all three with international drug trafficking and unauthorized possession of narcotic substances.
Brown was the co-pilot, and the pilot was reportedly an Estonian man named Keith Siilats, who left Paraguay on a commercial flight before the drugs were discovered. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, UPI reports.
"A new blow was dealt to drug trafficking as part of the Hummingbird Program. Special Agents from SENAD (National Anti-Drug Secretariat) intercepted and seized a jet from the United States carrying 261.6 kilograms of premium marijuana, and arrested three US citizens linked to the operation," SENAD wrote in a translated statement.
"The seized shipment, characterized by its high THC concentration, would have an approximate value of $3.6 million on the Brazilian illicit market, representing a significant financial blow to the criminal organizations involved."
Brown previously told the Jamaica Observer that he was training to be a pilot, and said: “I fly private jets, I cannot fly [for] the airlines because I’m too young.
“I have all the qualifications, I have every requirement to be an airline pilot, but I’m not 21. I have to be 21 per the United States Law to be an airline pilot.”
The content creator said he accepted to do the challenge without knowing what was going to be involved.
“One day, I just got a phone call… they asked if I was available from 8 October through the 18th, and I didn’t check my schedule, I just said yes… I had zero idea what it was about, I just knew it was with MrBeast, and there was gonna be international travel involved,” Brown said.
“It’s an indescribable moment because everything was so fast, but so slow, I’m like, so this means I’m a millionaire now? Just thinking of everything. I’m like, there’s no way, I can’t believe it.
“It was just hard to fathom anything, you know and then also thinking like you just won a MrBeast challenge, you are gonna be the front and centre of attention.”
Anish Vij