A Brazilian influencer accused of running an interstate drug trafficking and money laundering network has been arrested.
Melissa Said, 23, followed by more than 378,000 people on Instagram, is accused of transporting cannabis between Bahia and São Paulo.
Said, who has denied all wrongdoing, was arrested at a friend’s house in Itapuã, Salvador, on Thursday, after spending a day on the run.
The fugitive told reporters that her arrest is a ‘disgrace’, adding: ‘No one in the world should be arrested for smoking marijuana.’
Police raided five homes tied to the influencer and arrested two men in Laurdo de Freitas and two others in São Paulo, CNN Brazil reported.
One of the men was charged with drug trafficking after police seized 1.4kg of marijuana.
Ten search and seizure warrants were also served, five in Salvador and five in São Paulo.
Said remains in custody at the Women’s Penitentiary Complex in the Brotas, according to the Brazilian news outlet g1.
Said faces up to 25 years behind bars – the sale of cannabis is illegal under Brazilian law.
She maintains that she has only been arrested for her social media content, where she often filmed herself discussing marijuana.
Operation Erva Afectiva – named after Said’s Instagram bio, which translates as ‘weed-loving’ – was launched last year after Said was allegedly caught with marijuana on her at an airport.
Investigators claim she encourages her followers to smuggle and consume marijuana, giving them tips on how to avoid police capture.
She has suppliers in Bahia and São Paulo and promotes herself by handing out weed kits in the street, police allege.
During Thursday’s raids, police seized electronic devices, money and found evidence of suspicious financial transactions.
Police also recovered 270 grams of hashish, a concentrated form of cannabis, as well as small amounts of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Director of the State Department for Prevention and Suppression of Drug Trafficking, Ernandes Júnior, 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.’
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