OPA-LOCKA, Fla. – A man described in a recent federal lawsuit as a “mule” for Diddy was arrested Monday at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport while federal agents raided the music mogul’s Miami Beach and Los Angeles properties as part of what sources said is a sex trafficking probe.
Brendon Paul, 25, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, is facing two felony drug possession charges after Miami-Dade police said they found suspected cocaine and marijuana candy.
Music producer Rodney Jones alleged in the lawsuit that Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, sexually assaulted him and forced him to have sex with prostitutes.
The lawsuit alleges that Paul “acquires and distributes” drugs and guns for Combs. It also alleges that he is among a group of people “responsible for ensuring payment to sex workers in cash.”
Paul’s arrest report states that he “had the contraband inside of his personal travel bags, which he claimed prior to being searched” at around 4:15 p.m.
The report, which states that Miami-Dade police were working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, does not mention Combs, who has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Entertainment website TMZ reports that the arrest came after “Diddy and his crew were stopped by federal law enforcement agents” at the airport, stating that federal agents “intercepted” Combs’ plane.
An attorney for Combs, in a statement Tuesday, called the searches of his properties “excessive” and said the rapper is innocent.
Paul bonded out of the Miami-Dade jail Tuesday morning.