Basketball Player Arrested on Drug Charges at Miami Airport with Diddy

A 25-year-old basketball player from Ohio, Brendan Paul, was arrested at Opa Locka Airport in Miami as he attempted to board a private jet with rap mogul Diddy. Paul, an amateur music producer and graduate of Fairmont State University, has been accused of being a “drug mule” for Diddy in a federal lawsuit. Federal agents intercepted Diddy’s plane, which Paul was about to board, leading to his arrest on drug charges.

According to an arrest report obtained by The Post, Paul was booked on one count of possession of suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy, both of which are felonies in Florida. However, the drugs found in his bag have not been linked to Diddy, and the rap mogul was not arrested. Paul has since been bailed out of jail.

Originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio, Paul currently resides in Chagrin Falls near Cleveland with his parents, Curt and Mary Jo, in their $829,000 four-bed, six-bath home. He attended private boarding school at Brewster Academy in New England for the first three years of high school before transferring to Hawken High, a private day school in Ohio, for his senior year. Paul then attended Syracuse University in New York for his freshmen and sophomore years before transferring to Fairmont State University for his final two years.

Paul’s basketball career did not take off as expected, leading him to become an amateur music producer during the pandemic. He started making beats from his laptop and eventually produced for Diddy on The Love Album, released in September. Paul shared photos on social media of him and Diddy in the studio and the album release party.

Following Paul’s arrest, Diddy was seen pacing outside the Opa Locka airport, visibly stressed. Homeland Security agents raided Diddy’s Beverly Hills and Miami homes on Monday as part of a federal sex-trafficking investigation. Computer equipment and other evidence were confiscated during the raid. Diddy, with an estimated net worth of $1 billion, has denied all allegations, calling it a “witch hunt” through his lawyer, Aaron Dyer.

The excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities during the search warrants execution at Mr. Combs’ residences has been criticized, with Dyer stating that there is no excuse for such actions and the mistreatment of Diddy’s children and employees.