Entrepreneur pilot leaves Paraguay before $3.6M in hashish found
Authorities said they found 577 pounds of hashish Saturday aboard a Bombardier Challenger 604 that arrived at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Luque, Paraguay, after a flight from from Panama. File Photo by Juan Pablo/EPA
ASUNCION, Paraguay, June 1 (UPI) — Paraguayan authorities are investigating a suspected international drug-trafficking operation after discovering 577 pounds of hashish and cannabis aboard a private jet whose pilot left the country before the drugs were found.
The drugs were valued at approximately $3.6 million, making the case one of Paraguay’s largest recent air-related drug seizures.
The tale began at 9:12 p.m. Friday, when a Bombardier Challenger 604 arrived at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport from Panama carrying Estonian pilot Keith Siilats, American co-pilot Jabari Stephen Brown and three American passengers.
The aircraft landed without incident and all occupants left the airport terminal, authorities said.
About 10:30 a.m. Saturday, one of the passengers returned to retrieve luggage that had been left behind. Airport police said the man was reluctant to undergo a routine inspection and claimed the suitcase contained musical instruments.
His behavior raised suspicions among officers, who notified the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Anti-Drug Secretariat and the National Directorate of Civil Aeronautics.
Minutes later, authorities detected hashish in one of the inspected pieces of luggage. The discovery led to a broader inspection of the aircraft and its cargo.
Authorities ultimately found the 577 pounds of hashish and premium cannabis varieties concealed in bags inside the jet.
Jalil Rachid, minister of Paraguay’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat, said the operation represents one of the most significant air-related drug seizures carried out by Paraguay.
Authorities later determined that Siilats left Paraguay on a commercial flight Saturday morning, hours before the drugs were discovered and the investigation began.
Anti-drug prosecutor Ingrid Cubilla told Paraguayan media that Siilats remains under an arrest warrant.
Investigators have identified Siilats, 47, as one of the central figures in the case. He is known in the United States as co-founder and former chief technology officer of Bolt Mobility, an electric scooter and micromobility company that ceased operations in 2022.
Brown, a 21-year-old American who gained attention on social media after winning a competition organized by content creator MrBeast and receiving a multimillion-dollar business jet as a prize, was released by order of prosecutors.
The three American passengers who remain in custody were identified as Troy Anthony Vasquez, 42, whom investigators said rented the aircraft; David Thomas Wise, 57; and Marisol Rivas, 39.
Anti-drug prosecutor Cubilla charged all three with international drug trafficking and unauthorized possession of narcotic substances. All remain in pretrial detention.
Rachid said Paraguayan authorities are sharing information with international agencies and working with Panama and other countries to determine the route of those involved and possible regional connections.
According to Rachid, authorities believe Paraguay was only a transit pointm and that the final destination of the shipment was Brazil.
“We are certain that the final market for this type of drug, especially given the quantity, is Brazil,” he said.
“There is not very high consumption here precisely because of the cost of this type of drug.”
