A GLAMOROUS rapper dubbed the “Barbie Bandit” has been arrested in a dramatic police raid targeting a massive dark web drugs operation.
Maria L., a 25-year-old blonde beauty who is famous for showcasing herself in pink Barbie outfits and brandishing a rifle on social media, was apprehended by Russian authorities in St. Petersburg on May 15.
She is alleged to have transitioned from being an influencer to a trafficker, supposedly playing a role in managing an efficient online narcotics store that handles storage, distribution, and sales of illegal substances via the dark web.
Photos online show the rapper in revealing crop tops and doll-like makeup, living a flashy life that masked a far more dangerous double identity.
Police said: “She helped sell the drugs online and also managed their storage and distribution.”
During the operation, law enforcement officers discovered laptops, cell phones, as well as a notable supply of chemicals commonly used in producing hallucinogenic drugs. They also found weighing scales and other equipment used in the manufacturing process.
Prosecutors are now preparing to charge Maria L. with attempted illegal production of drugs, trafficking, and selling psychotropic substances.
The rapper — who already had a following as a blogger, streamer and musician — could face up to 15 years behind bars if convicted.
It comes after a Russian teen TikTok star has sparked outrage after threatening to have her pro-Putin mother send online trolls to the war front.
Yulia Shevtsova, a mayor in the Vologda region, was left red-faced after her 19-year-old influencer daughter made the chilling threat in a viral video.
Ksenia Shevtsova infuriated viewers by boasting on TikTok: “Are you out of your mind, dude? Do you know who my mum is?”
She added: “The mayor! We’ll send you to the [war].”
The clip, which quickly spread online, featured images and videos of Ksenia posing with her politician mum — followed by the bold claim she could send her critics to fight in Vladimir Putin’s brutal conflict.
The mayor later issued a public apology for her daughter’s comments.
Awkward footage showed the Putin-supporting official struggling to save her political career.
She said: “Our children make mistakes by stupidity, through inexperience, but it is necessary to realise and correct these mistakes in time.”
Looking visibly uncomfortable, she added: “That is why I had a serious conversation with my child.”
Meanwhile, a twisted grave robber who dressed the mummified corpses of 29 young girls as dolls will stay locked in a psychiatric hospital, a Russian court ruled.
Anatoly Moskvin, 55, transformed the dead children into lifelike “dolls” by dressing them in stockings, clothing, and knee-high boots.
He was arrested in 2011 after a series of desecrated graves of girls aged three to 11 sparked a lengthy police investigation in Novgorod, Russia.
When officers raided the apartment Moskvin shared with his parents, they uncovered the mummified remains of 29 girls.
Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Moskvin was deemed unfit to stand trial in 2012.
He has been confined to a secure psychiatric facility in Russia ever since.
Despite multiple legal appeals by his lawyers, a court has now ruled that he must remain in detention.
The decision followed a petition from the hospital’s chief physician — likely triggered by concerns over Moskvin’s behaviour.
Moskvin admitted to desecrating 44 graves belonging to girls aged three to 12.
