A popular influencer has broken her silence after being accused of heading up a notorious interstate drug smuggling network.
Melissa Said, who boasts 340,000 followers on Instagram and shares content related to cannabis, was arrested in Bahia, Brazil, for allegedly leading a criminal gang involved with the distribution of the drug and money laundering.
Said spoke out on Friday as she vehemently denied being part of the trafficking network, calling her apprehension a ‘shame.’
She said: ‘It’s a shame. No one in the world should be arrested for smoking marijuana,’ according to the Sun US.
Local police raided five properties linked to the 23-year-old and her alleged organization. Footage showed Said being taken into custody last week.
Cops arrested three suspected accomplices on Wednesday.
Officers seized electronic devices, cash and found evidence of several suspicious financial transactions during their investigation.
Said spoke out on Friday as she vehemently denied being part of the trafficking network, calling her apprehension a ‘shame’
Melissa Said – who posts about her life for a living – is accused of running a drug trafficking ring in Brazil
Authorities believe that the social media personality had suppliers in the states of Bahia and Sao Paolo and that she encouraged the smuggling and consumption of drugs.
She is also believed to have advised her followers on how to evade police while transporting drugs.
Ernandes Jr., director for the State Department for Prevention and Suppression of Drug Trafficking (DENARC), said: ‘The objective of this operation is to combat drug trafficking, with the main target being a digital influencer who promotes crime.
‘It was discovered that in addition to promoting crime and drug use, she also sells and distributes narcotics in Bahia, with some people from São Paulo as one of her suppliers.’
Footage showed Said being taken into custody last week
Investigations into the influencer began in 2024, after she was reportedly caught with drugs at an airport and taken to a police station.
Melissa’s last Instagram post before becoming a fugitive was a video in which she discussed the legalization of marijuana while appearing to smoke an unknown substance.
