The bikini-clad Instagram influencer suspected of doubling because the queen of a drug trafficking ring referred to as her arrest a “disgrace” and denied having any affiliation with the alleged interstate smuggling community.
Melissa Stated decried her seize after authorities raided 5 of her properties throughout Brazil following a years-long investigation and accused her of transporting medicine between the states of Bahia and São Paulo.
“It’s a disgrace… nobody on the earth ought to be arrested for smoking marijuana,” Stated proclaimed, in accordance to The Solar.
Stated dismissed the accusations that she was a drug mule or the chief of the supposed trafficking ring, the outlet reported.
The 23-year-old budding influencer — with over 376,000 followers on Instagram — constructed up her following with glamorous pictures of herself smoking marijuana and advertising and marketing hemp-related merchandise.
Her bio states, “I discuss ganja,” and Ervoafetiva or “weed loving.”
Police launched the multi-property raid, named Operation Erva Afectiva, in reference to Stated’s Instagram account, on Wednesday.
In the course of the operation, officers uncovered proof of a number of suspicious monetary transactions, and seized a number of digital gadgets, in response to The Solar.
Roughly three kilos of “skank” hashish and a half pound of cannabis— a concentrated type of hashish created from the resin of the marijuana plant — have been recovered throughout the operation.
Police additionally found small parts of marijuana, digital scales, plastic baggage, cellphones, financial institution playing cards, and two autos believed to have been utilized in legal exercise.
Stated was discovered hiding out at a good friend’s house within the Bahia capital of Salvador.
A minimum of 4 different suspects have been captured throughout the raids, with one being charged with drug trafficking linked to the “skank.
Police launched its investigation into Stated in 2024 after she was allegedly caught with medicine inside an airport.
Stated is accused of advising followers how one can evade regulation enforcement whereas transporting medicine and selling methods of handing off “kits” crammed with joints within the streets.
An investigation into her illicit dealings opened after she was allegedly caught with medicine inside an airport.
Officers consider she has been facilitating and inspiring the smuggling of unlawful substances in Bahia and São Paulo.
She was allegedly recognized as a purchaser who distributed the medicine to individuals she had contact with on social media.
A particular police drug pressure questioned Stated on Thursday earlier than she went beneath for a forensic examination.
She faces as much as 25 years in jail if discovered responsible.
Stated protested for the legalization of marijuana in Brazil in one in all her final Instagram posts earlier than her arrest.
It’s unlawful to promote marijuana within the South American nation.
Possession and cultivation for personal, private use have been decriminalized by the Brazilian Supreme Court docket in 2006.
