A former Syracuse basketball player was detained on two felony counts at a Miami airport on Monday. He is suspected of serving as rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged “drug mule.”
Brendan Paul, as he is listed on Syracuse’s roster, was a walk-on guard for the team from 2018 to 2020. The 25-year-old was arrested for cocaine and controlled substance possession and freed on Tuesday after posting $2,500 bond, according to Miami-Dade County court documents obtained by Yahoo Sports.
Paul’s first name is spelled “Brandon” on the records, but the mug shot published by TMZ matches his roster photo. He was detained at Opa Locka Airport before attempting to board Diddy’s private jet, according to the New York Post. In addition to the cocaine, “suspected marijuana edibles” were allegedly discovered in Paul’s suitcase.
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The arrest came as federal authorities raided Combs’ houses in Los Angeles and Miami on Monday, following multiple recent lawsuits alleging the 54-year-old of sexual assault and sex trafficking. According to the New York Times, Homeland Security Investigations carried out the raid without giving details about the case or any accusations against Combs.
Paul’s name was reportedly mentioned 11 times in a February complaint filed in Manhattan Federal District Court by music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. The producer claimed Diddy sexually abused him while working on various songs for “The Love Album: Off the Grid” between 2022 and 2023.
In the petition, Paul is referred to as Combs’ “mule.” Photos of Paul and Combs together were reportedly produced in the lawsuit to back up charges that Paul obtained and distributed firearms and drugs to the rapper. He is also accused of helping and abetting Combs and his friends in alleged sex trafficking by paying sex workers with cash.
Paul got accepted at Syracuse after attending Brewster Academy, an elite boarding school in New Hampshire. He switched to Hawken High School, a private school in Ohio, before his senior year.
After scoring three points off the bench in 16 games during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Syracuse, he decided to transfer. He joined Fairmont State for the 2020-21 season, where he scored 51 points in two years.
His Facebook page features posts on his goal to focus on basketball and music production during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. In September 2023, he posted images of himself and Combs while working on “The Love Album.” In the caption, he said, “Been off the grid, it’s still love”. In October, he simply wrote “visceral” next to a shot of a private jet on set.
He is expected to appear in court on April 24.