A young pilot who went viral celebrating his multimillion-dollar private jet win is back in the spotlight this time for all the wrong reasons. Jabari Stephen Brown, known online as “Captain Treezy,” saw his name surface in a major drug bust in Paraguay just months after his feel-good MrBeast moment.
Brown, a Jamaican-born U.S. pilot, won a Hawker 400XP private jet valued at roughly $2.4 million during MrBeast’s 2025 “100 Pilots Fight For A Private Jet” challenge. Clips showed the then-20-year-old covering his face in shock, crouching on the tarmac, and hugging MrBeast amid fireworks as the jet sat behind him.
“You just won this private jet,”
one voice says in the footage.
“Congrats on the brand new jet.”
That story of triumph took a sharp turn in late May 2026.
Paraguayan authorities from the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) seized approximately 261.6 kilograms (577 pounds) of high-THC cannabis from a Bombardier Challenger 604 private jet that arrived from Panama with links to Miami. The drugs, hidden in luggage, carried an estimated street value of around $3.6 million.
Brown served as co-pilot on the flight alongside Estonian pilot Keith Siilats. He was detained late Saturday night, May 31, at a hotel in Asunción, becoming the fourth person taken into custody. The three American passengers Marisol Rivas, Troy Anthony Vásquez, and David Thomas Wise remain charged with international drug trafficking.
Prosecutors later released Brown after he cooperated fully, providing flight logs and details. Authorities said there was insufficient evidence tying him directly to the trafficking operation. He had reportedly been hired only for piloting duties.
The Bombardier Challenger 604 involved in the seizure is not the same aircraft Brown won from MrBeast. The prize jet was a Hawker 400XP. This distinction has been lost in some viral posts.
Social media exploded after @AkademiksTV posted a split-screen video on June 2 contrasting Brown’s emotional MrBeast celebration with raid footage of duffel bags and officers on a tarmac. The post quickly drew meme reactions highlighting the wild fall-from-grace optics.
The irony hits hard: a bright young pilot living the dream turns up in an international trafficking probe. While Brown is no longer in custody, the story underscores how quickly internet fame can collide with serious legal trouble. MrBeast himself has no connection to the incident.
Investigators continue examining the broader network, including possible routes from Miami through Panama to South America. Questions linger about who organized the shipment and whether others on the flight knew what was in the luggage.
This developing case mixes viral celebrity culture, private aviation risks, and cross-border crime exactly the kind of story that keeps scrolling for U.S. audiences. Updates are expected as the investigation unfolds.
