Social media ‘influencers’ facing federal drug trafficking charges after Mobile arrest

Social media ‘influencers’ facing federal drug trafficking charges after Mobile arrest

Two women purported to be social media “influencers” are in the Mobile County Jail, being held for U.S. Marshals as they await a federal court date on charges they were trafficking in cocaine.

Raquelle Dolores Anteola, 34, is from Van Nuys, Calif., and goes by the name “Rahky” on social media, with some 120,000 followers on Instagram. Her social media profiles say she is a singer. Her last post was two weeks ago — just days prior to the June 1 arrest.

The other woman is Miramar, Fla., resident Melissa Dufour, 36, who has some 11,600 followers under the handle “melimacbarbie” on Instagram and whose profile says she is the owner of a clothing line called “Sexy Sweats.” Her LinkedIn profile says she has a degree in Health Care Administration/Management from Florida Atlantic University.

What federal law enforcement says about the two women, however, is they are cocaine traffickers.

According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Mobile, Mobile County deputies initiated a traffic stop on a black Ford Expedition on June 1 on Interstate 10 near exit 8 in Mobile. During the stop, a Mobile County K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.

Prior to a search of the vehicle, Dufour handed a deputy her phone and a subject at the other end claiming to be an attorney told the deputy he would be “requesting dash camera footage, as well as training records for the canine and names and badge numbers for officers on the scene.”

Undaunted by the attorney, deputies conducted the search, discovering several hidden compartments inside the vehicle which contained approximately in excess of 217 pounds (98 kilograms) of cocaine, with an estimated wholesale value of $3 million, which federal agents said was a conservative estimate.

The federal complaint noted the Expedition has been modified with steel aftermarket compartment in the backseat. In addition, the floor had been lowered and welded back together, allowing for room to store the cocaine. The side panels of the vehicle had also been hollowed out for storage of more bricks of cocaine.

Five of the bundles were field tested and all tested positive for cocaine.

During interviews with U.S. Homeland Security, the two women said they met in Miami, Fla., and left together for Houston to attend a party/cookout, although neither could remember any names of those at the party or anyone they met in Houston, other than Dufour recalling someone named “Jessie.”

Both women said they got drunk at the party, with Dufour saying they left the vehicle at the party and someone took them back to their hotel, while Anteola said they used an Uber to return to the hotel. The two women said they “hung out” in Houston for a couple of days before departing for Atlanta, where they were heading when they were stopped on I-10 in Mobile.

The two women remain in the Mobile Metro Jail on $1 million bond. They face Alabama state charges of trafficking cocaine, and federal charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

If convicted on the federal charge, they each face a minimum sentence of 10 years, with a maximum of life in prison, as well as a fine of up to $10 million.