Brendan Paul, who has been accused of working as a “drug and gun mule” for Sean “Diddy” Combs, was arraigned in a Miami-Dade County courtroom on Wednesday (April 24), with his lawyer entering a not guilty plea for his 25-year-old client. Paul was arrested at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on March 25 with cocaine and cannabis-infused candy allegedly in his possession the same day Diddy’s LA and Miami homes were raided.
TMZ captured footage of Diddy pacing around outside of that same airport on the day Paul was detained by federal agents. Paul made bond and was released the next day, on Tuesday, March 26.
According to NBC Miami, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office filed a cocaine possession charge but dropped a possession of a controlled substance charge against Paul. Although Paul wasn’t in attendance at the arraignment on Wednesday, his lawyer Brian Bieber a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf.
From 2018 to 2020, Paul played two seasons for the Syracuse men’s basketball team. He didn’t get too much playing time, appearing in 16 games total and averaging less than a point, according to Sports Reference. He then became interested in becoming a music producer and transferred to a Division II school in West Virginia where he graduated with a business degree. By 2022, he was traveling around with Diddy on his private jet.
Paul’s arrest stems from a sex-trafficking probe involving Combs, who has maintained his innocence. NBC reports that at least five law enforcement sources have said the raids are connected to an ongoing sex trafficking probe. A day after the late-March raids of his homes, Diddy’s attorney Aaron Dyer shared this statement with Billboard: “Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”
Diddy’s former girlfriend Cassie Ventura opened the floodgates against Combs with her now-settled lawsuit back in November. The music mogul has faced a slew of other sexual misconduct lawsuits since and was forced to step down as chairman of Revolt TV.
