Jabari Stephan Brown, a pilot and previous MrBeast challenge victor perhaps better known on social media as Captain Treezy, was swiftly released following his initial arrest in connection with a multimillion-dollar marijuana bust in Paraguay. Now, authorities say they believe he had no involvement with the alleged smuggling.
Per an Associated Press report, the arrest occurred at a hotel in Asunción this weekend, with Brown actually the fourth individual arrested in connection with the bust at the time. Depending on your level of tolerance for MrBeast-related news developments, you may, or may not, recall Brown winning a pricey jet in a competition led by the YouTube personality last year.
At any rate, the seized plane at the center of the Paraguay bust, which authorities say included over 261 kilograms of “premium marijuana” valued at $3.6 million, is not the craft Brown won in the MrBeast competition.
Authorities have since said they believe Brown had no involvement with the alleged smuggling.
On Monday (June 1) and Tuesday (June 2), Brown addressed the incident in a series of Instagram Stories updates. In one, he directed followers to a post describing him as the “co-pilot” of the craft in question. In the post, a Paraguayan official is heard telling reporters that Brown was ultimately released.
"Surely [the prosecutors] considered that they had no participation or knowledge of the cargo,” Jalil Rachid, who heads Paraguay’s anti-drug ministry, told reporters of 21-year-old Brown’s release.
Others named in reports as being detained as part of the bust include 39-year-old Marisol Rivas, 42-year-old Troy Anthony Vásquez, and 58-year-old David Thomas Wise. Meanwhile, the would-be pilot, Keith Siilats, is said to have left the country before the other arrests were made.
In a recent news release, the National Anti-Drug Secretariat’s office in Paraguay said the marijuana was discovered in a private hanger at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport.
“The investigators were able to detect the arrival of a jet-type aircraft from the city of Miami, United States, which previously made a stopover in Panama,” reads an English translation of the press release. “The operation was carried out when several suitcases were unloaded from the aircraft to be transferred to a land vehicle bound for a point in the capital.”
Complex has reached out to Paraguayan officials for additional comment. This story may be updated.
