As Donald Trump Jr. made an unexpected trip to the Balkans this week, DailyMail.com can reveal that his girlfriend Bettina Anderson was involved in a drug scandal that led to her older brother being charged at the federal level.
Don Jr.’s trip to Serbia and Romania was ostensibly to deliver the message that his father would end Russia’s war in Ukraine, but it also gave him an escape from his relationship with fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and rumors of infidelity with Palm Beach socialite Anderson.
But now DailyMail.com has learned that Anderson’s life as a leading figure in the millionaire enclave was almost derailed before it began.
Anderson, whose kisses with Don Jr. catapulted her to national fame, was a passenger aboard her brother’s private plane returning to the country in 2015.
Customs officials found psilocybin or magic mushrooms hidden in one of three cartons of cigarettes on board, court documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com show.
Bettina Anderson’s glittering life as a Palm Beach socialite was nearly derailed when she became embroiled in a drug bust that led to her older brother Loy (left with Bettina and her brother Kent) being federally charged.
Harry Loy Anderson III, now 47, was piloting the plane back from a trip to the Bahamas and his younger sister Bettina, 37 (pictured with Kent at left) was among three passengers on board.
A photo obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com shows Don Jr. having lunch with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, 37, in mid-August, with his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle nowhere to be seen.
Harry Loy Anderson III, now 47, was piloting the aircraft back from a trip to Eleuthera in the Bahamas and his younger sister Bettina, 37, was among three passengers on board when a search of her brother’s bags revealed his apparent attempt to smuggle the controlled substance into the country.
According to the criminal complaint, ‘On August 9, 2015, Harry Loy Anderson III, a licensed pilot, entered the U.S. Customs and Border Protection private aircraft facility at Palm Beach International Airport after piloting a private aircraft to West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County… from North Eluthra (sic), Bahamas.’
Loy, as he is known by his family, told officers he had nothing to declare, said he had presented all his luggage for inspection and denied having alcohol or tobacco on board.
The former president’s son, who began dating Guilfoyle shortly after splitting from his first wife, Vanessa Trump, in 2018, was seen kissing the model during the outing, according to witnesses.
Bettina Anderson is known for her good works in Palm Beach, but she was almost caught up in a drug bust when her brother was arrested and given four years probation.
Bettina was named as a passenger in her brother’s attempt to modify her bail.
But the subsequent criminal complaint states: ‘Upon searching a tan leather purse… three packs of cigarettes were found in the tan purse. Two of the packs contained cigarettes.
‘The third package, however, contained a silver metallic coating containing what appeared to be psilocybin mushrooms (a Schedule 1 controlled substance).
“When asked about the mushrooms, Anderson became very nervous and claimed they were not his and that he did not smoke or drink.”
Loy was charged with three counts: importation and attempted importation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance on board an aircraft arriving in the United States, and aiding and abetting.
He was then asked if he was transporting narcotics for another person, to which he responded negatively.
A field test revealed that the substance was magic mushrooms.
Loy was arrested and read his Miranda rights, at which point officers attempted to interview him but he “invoked his rights and was unwilling to speak with officers.”
Loy was charged with three counts: importation and attempted importation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance on board an aircraft arriving in the United States, and aiding and abetting.
He was released on $250,000 bail.
The maximum penalty for counts one and two is 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, a term of supervised release of three years to life, and a $100 special assessment fee.
The government tried to prevent Anderson from communicating with Loy after her arrest because, as a passenger on the plane, she and her brother-in-law Brad McPherson, who is married to her twin sister Kristina, were witnesses.
Loy’s attorneys objected to this, and Anderson, McPherson and friends provided affidavits stating that this would be an undue hardship since the family was exceptionally close, living close to each other and speaking daily.
Loy on his plane with Kent delivering water after Hurricane Irma in 2017
Loy posted this photo of a private plane in 2017. It’s unclear if it’s the same plane involved in the drug bust.
According to Anderson’s affidavit, it would be “painful” if he were prevented from speaking to his brother.
It would also interfere with the volunteer work the two undertook as founding members of The Paradise Fund, a nonprofit that provides aid and collaborates with local agencies on efforts such as hurricane cleanup in the Bahamas and nationwide.
They were eventually allowed to communicate with Loy on the condition that they not discuss the case.
Loy ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to four years of probation. He was also ordered to surrender his pilot’s license and fined $5,000.
He had to agree to submit to random searches of his person and property by his probation officer.
In her affidavit, Bettina said it would be “extremely painful” for her to be prevented from speaking to her brother and vowed they would not discuss the case.
As DailyMail.com exclusively revealed over the weekend, Bettina was spotted kissing Donald Trump Jr. and putting her hand on his thigh at the Honor Bar in Palm Beach on August 17, sparking speculation that the former president’s engagement to Kimberly Guilfoyle, 55, could be on the rocks.
“They were definitely on a date,” an eyewitness told us. “They weren’t kissing, but the kisses were romantic and you could tell they were intimate.”
Another said: “She seemed totally in love with Don, and he with her.”
‘They looked totally relaxed, she in a white shirt tied up to show off her midriff and baggy trousers, he in shorts and a T-shirt.’
Don Jr. and Bettina even told their waiter that they were planning a trip together to Islamorada, a resort destination in the Florida Keys.
Neither Don Jr. nor Anderson have spoken about their lunch together, though after our Sunday exclusive, Guilfoyle posted photos of herself giving her fiancé a kiss on the cheek at a campaign event on Saturday.
