Sizzling Brazilian influencer Melissa Said is denying overseeing a vast cocaine empire.
Instead, the bikini-clad beauty claims she likes to smoke pot once in a while. That’s it.
But the cops who arrested Said say she is linked to a massive drug smuggling organization and is quite likely its leader. She previously went on the run when officers were closing in on the 23-year-old, who has 380,000 followers on her Instagram page .
Now, she has broken her silence, calling her arrest “a shame” and denying any involvement in drug trafficking.
“It’s a shame … no one in the world should be arrested for smoking marijuana,” she told the U.S. Sun newspaper , adding that she is not a secret drug mule.
Oversaw criminal syndicate?
Said had been accused of being the drug lord overseeing a Bahia-based criminal syndicate that pushed cannabis and was involved with money laundering. Police raided five properties linked to the queen bee.
Two alleged male accomplices of Said, who shares content related to cannabis on her social media, were held on the outskirts of Salvador and another two in São Paulo.
Cops accused Said of promoting the consumption of drugs to her social media followers and advising them on how to evade police if they travelled with narcotics.
“The objective of this operation is to combat drug trafficking, with the main target being a digital influencer who promotes crime,” said Ernandes Junior, director for the State Department for Prevention and Suppression of Drug Trafficking (DENARC).
“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.
In executing the swath of warrants, police seized electronic devices, cash, and found evidence of multiple suspicious financial transactions as part of Operation Erva Afetiva, which translates to weed-loving. It’s the same phrase Said has plastered on her Instagram bio.
Could face up to 25 years in prison
One of the other suspects was charged with drug-trafficking as cops uncovered 1.4 kilograms of “skank” cannabis.
If convicted, the social media star could face up to 25 years in prison. Investigations into the influencer’s activities began in 2024, after she was reportedly caught with drugs at a Brazilian airport and taken to a police station.
Her final Instagram post before becoming a fugitive was a video in which she discussed the legalization of marijuana while appearing to smoke an unknown substance.
She had been married to content creator Tassio Bacelar, who died in a motorbike accident in October 2023.
Melissa posted on social media after his death: “Forever in my heart, my love. I love you more than anything.”
@HunterTOSun
