Diddy’s Alleged ‘Mule’ Arrested

Diddy's alleged mule has been arrested, amid his homes being raided on Monday (March 25). According to arrest records per Rolling Stone, Brendan Paul was taken into custody at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on Tuesday (March 26).

Paul was arrested on cocaine and marijuana charges. Officers found cocaine in Paul’s "personal travel bags," and he was later booked on cocaine possession and possession of a controlled substance. He has since been released, per TMZ.

Paul was named in Lil Rod's lawsuit; that lawsuit notes that he allegedly takes care of Diddy's drugs and guns. Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones is a former producer and videographer for the rap mogul and is accusing Diddy of sexually harassing,  drugging, and threatening him.

This arrest follows the of the rapper's homes in Los Angeles and Miami by Homeland Security on Monday (March 25), according to TMZ. The outlet reports that agents for Homeland Security raided each of the aforementioned properties.

The publication reported that law enforcement was "walking through the house with guns drawn, and there are people being questioned in the front of the house." There was no indication that Diddy was home at either of the properties. According to FOX11, there were photos of individuals who were detained outside the homes.  Their identities had not been determined. The exact reason behind the raid has not been announced, but reports speculate it is tied to the sex trafficking allegations.

"Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners. We will provide further information as it becomes available," a rep for Homeland Security told TMZ.

The reason behind the house raid is not yet known, but it has reportedly been tied to his alleged sex trafficking, sexual assault, and harassment charges that have been brought to light in recent months. Diddy has denied all wrongdoing.

One incident was of Diddy allegedly being involved in a gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at the time. She claims the alleged incident happened in 2003 when she was in the 11th grade. Combs was 34 at the time. She claims she met up with Diddy and Harve Pierre, who was the president of Bad Boy Entertainment, inside Combs’ recording studio in Manhattan.

After the lawsuit was filed, Diddy spoke out about the allegations.

"Enough is enough. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy," he said in a statement to Rolling Stone. "Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth."

Sean "Diddy" Combs has had a substantial and influential career in music, entertainment, and business. Diddy started his career as a talent director until he created his own label Bad Boy Records in 1993. On Bad Boy Records he helped cultivate the careers of Notorious B.I.G.'s along with R&B royalty Mary J. Blige, and Usher. On Diddy's own rapping accord, he released his debut album No Way Out in 1997 and is currently seven times platinum by the RIAA. He maintained success in music with Forever (1999), The Saga Continues..., (2001), and Press Play (2006).

The Harlem native continued to create his own albums and later produce MTV's Making The Band which aired for three seasons (2000-2002). The show created bands such as O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. After the show was over he found himself creating a band called Dirty Money in 2009 which was comprised of Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper.

Throughout his career, Diddy has had his hands in a lot of business ventures whether it was music, entertainment, or even the latest virtual currency. His businesses have put the entrepreneur on the map and have given him a lot of success since he just joined the billionaire club according to Forbes' former editor Zack O'Malley.

"Diddy becomes the third billionaire minted by Hip-Hop surging past Ye on the strength of several assets that have weathered the pandemic remarkably well," he wrote. "The value of his incredibly resilient Cîroc partnership with Diageo—which functions like an equity stake while creating cash flows for Diddy in the neighborhood of $60 million annually—continues to account for the bulk of his fortune."

Take a look at all of the businesses that Diddy currently owns:

Bad Boy Records was founded in 1993 by Diddy. It has since been a staple in hip-hop for over 20 years and has helped cultivate the careers of Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Mario Winans, New Edition, Danity Kane, and many more. Some artists currently on their roster are two of Diddy's sons Quincy Brown and Christian "King" Combs, as well as Cassie, French Montana, and himself.

Diddy is a proud Harlem native and one of his newest business ventures has been giving back. The rapper co-founded Capital Prep Harlem with Dr. Steve Perry in 2015. Perry founded Capital Prep Magnet School, located in Hartford, CT, in 2005 and was later implemented in Harlem. Capital Prep Harlem offers students an elite education starting from grade six all the way to their senior year of high school. Since this model was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 2005, it has sent 100% of its predominantly low-income first-generation graduates to college.

Under Combs Wines and Spirits, Diddy has partnered with Diageo's Cîroc and Deleön Tequila. Diddy handles the marketing for Cîroc Ultra-Premium Vodka and co-owns Deleön Tequila since 2013 and 2014 respectively.

https://seanjohn.com

Sean John is Diddy's fashion and lifestyle brand that launched in 1998. The brand is a staple in hip-hop fashion having created major fashion moments with velour tracksuits, baggy jeans, oversized shirts and terrycloth headbands. In 2021, Diddy got his brand back in a $7.55 million bid at an auction to save Sean John from bankruptcy. In a written statement to Forbes, Diddy said, "I launched Sean John in 1998 with the goal of building a premium brand that shattered tradition and introduced Hip Hop to high-fashion on a global scale. Seeing how streetwear has evolved to rewrite the rules of fashion and impact culture across categories, I’m ready to reclaim ownership of the brand, build a team of visionary designers and global partners to write the next chapter of Sean John’s legacy."

REVOLT TV & Media is a "multi-genre, multi-platform network offers breaking music news, videos, artist interviews, exclusive performances, and original programming," the site reads. The company primarily focuses on hip-hop culture and entertainment with the tagline "unapologetically Black." REVOLT Films is a subsidiary of the aforementioned company which focuses on production. REVOLT Films produced UNDEFEATED, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2012, and DOPE which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at The Sundance Film Festival in 2015. According to the site, the production company currently has six feature film projects and three TV programs in various stages of development.

AQUAhydrate is a lifestyle beverage company where Diddy is an active investor and board member. The beverage company differs from the average water bottle you might pick up as it is "supplemented with all natural electrolytes and trace minerals and then elevated to an alkaline pH of over 9 using electrolysis," the site reads. Actor Mark Wahlberg also sits on the board alongside Diddy.