Former Syracuse men’s basketball player Brendan Paul arrested on drug charges
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
A former Syracuse men’s basketball player, who allegedly served as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s “drug mule,” was arrested yesterday on drug charges.
According to an affidavit obtained by TMZ, former SU guard Brendan Paul was booked on two separate drug charges after federal officers intercepted Combs’ plane at the Opa Locka Executive Airport in Miami, Florida. The first count was possession of suspected cocaine and the second was possession of suspected marijuana candy, both of which are felonies in the state of Florida.
In the affidavit, officers claim that while they were working in conjunction with Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection personnel, they found what appeared to be narcotics. Authorities arrested Paul after learning substances were drugs, but he has already been released on bail, TMZ reported.
Yesterday, the New York Times reported that federal agents raided homes in Los Angeles and the Miami area Monday that are connected to Combs, who has been accused of sex trafficking and sexual assault in multiple lawsuits over the last several months.
Paul was first mentioned in a February lawsuit from music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who claimed Combs sexually assaulted him while working on his 2022 album. The federal case, filed in the Southern District of New York, mentions Paul’s name 17 times and states that Paul worked as Combs’s “Mule,” acquiring and distributing his drugs and guns. There are multiple photos of Paul and Combs together in Jones’ lawsuit.
The suit states Paul “aided and abetted” in Combs’s and his co-conspirators’ sex trafficking venture, financially benefiting. According to the case, Paul was also responsible for paying sex workers in cash.
Paul was a walk-on guard at Syracuse for two seasons from 2018-20. He played in nine games in his freshman year and did not score any points. In his sophomore year, he participated in seven games and recorded three points. He transferred to Fairmont State for the 2020-21 season, scoring 51 points over two years.
This story will be updated with further reporting.
