Influencers Arrested in Alabama With $3 Million of Cocaine

Two social media influencers were arrested on June 1 along Interstate 10 in Mobile County, Alabama, after sheriff's deputies found 217 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden beneath the floorboards of a Ford Expedition.

Racquelle Anteola, a 34 year old emerging hip hop artist from Van Nuys, California who performs as Rahky, and Melissa Dufour, a 36 year old fitness and fashion content creator from Miramar, Florida, were both charged with cocaine trafficking.

The two were traveling from Houston to Atlanta when the traffic stop led to a search that uncovered the drugs.

The Mobile County Sheriff's Office estimated the street value of the haul at roughly 2.1 million dollars and held both women on 1 million dollar bonds at Mobile Metro Jail.

The case drew heavy online attention because of the defendants' social media followings and the sharp contrast between their public personas and the trafficking allegations.

Federal authorities later took up the matter, and both women agreed to plead guilty to cocaine trafficking charges.

The federal case ended in prison for both women, though far shorter terms than a $3 million load might suggest. Melissa Dufour, who was driving, received 36 months from Senior U.S. District Judge William Steele in May 2024 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and Racquelle Anteola received 24 months a week later, per FOX10 and FOX10. Court records put the haul at 84 kilograms, and phone location data suggested the pair had run the route since November 2022. Both admitted they were couriers hired by others who went unnamed in court. Dufour's 36 months, followed by five years of supervision, run well past 2027.