(NewsNation) — A man described in a lawsuit as rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs’ “mule” was arrested Monday at a Florida airport — the same day two properties belonging to the music mogul in Los Angeles and Miami were searched by law enforcement as part of a sex trafficking probe.
Brendon Paul, a 25-year-old from Ohio, was charged with possession of cocaine and “marijuana candy” at Miami Opa-locka Executive Airport according to an arrest affidavit. Combs, 53, was not named in the arrest document.
The lawsuit, filed February in New York federal court by a music producer, accuses Combs of sexual assault and providing “laced alcoholic beverages to minors and sex workers” in California, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida.
Paul “acquires, and distributes, Mr. Combs’ drugs and guns,” the lawsuit alleged, adding that as the “mule,” he was also responsible for giving payments sex workers cash payments. In the lawsuit, Paul’s first name is spelled with an “a” instead of an “o.”
Law enforcement officials have not named Paul as Comb’s “mule,” or drawn a connection between his arrest and the raid.
Combs’ attorney called the events described in the lawsuit “pure fiction.”
The music producer’s lawsuit is one of several filed against Combs in recent months. R&B singer Cassie, who used to date Combs, sued him for what she said were years of sexual abuse, including rape. That suit was settled a day after being filed. Another woman said Combs raped her two decades ago.
“I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” Combs said in a November statement.
Police working on a different detail Monday at the airport were asked to take a look at a plane linked to Diddy, the Miami Herald reported. Once they were inside the aircraft, law enforcement found the drugs in Paul’s possession, a law enforcement source told the newspaper.
After being charged, Paul was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. The Miami Herald wrote that he got out of jail on a $2,500 bond and his next court appearance is set for April 24.
NewsNation digital producer Liz Jassin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.
