Brendan Paul, the former Syracuse basketball player accused of acting as a drug and gun “mule” for Sean “Diddy” Combs, is no longer facing felony charges in Florida.
Paul, 25, was arrested on March 25 at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport— the same day Homeland Security agents raided Diddy’s mansions in Miami and Los Angeles.
Paul had been charged with felony possession of cocaine and a controlled substance after coke and marijuana-laced candy were found in his bag during a search, according to Miami-Dade police.
He initially pleaded not guilty but struck a plea deal in May to avoid jail time.
State attorneys dropped the possession of a controlled substance charge earlier this year. The possession of cocaine charged was dropped Tuesday after Paul completed a six-month pretrial diversion program, which includes substance abuse classes. Authorities said the program was a standard offer to a non-violent, first-time offender.
“Mr. Paul’s case was formally dismissed today — in its entirety,” defense attorney Brian Bieber told NBC Miami.
Combs meanwhile is in federal custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial on charges of racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has also been accused of sexual assault in a number of civil lawsuits.
He’s pleaded not guilty.
Combs’ criminal trial is slated to begin in May of next year. The disgraced Bad Boy Records founder has been denied bail multiple times since his arrest in September and dropped a bail appeal last Friday.
A law enforcement source told TMZ that Paul, who was previously Combs’ main assistant, had not made a deal with federal prosecutors in the case against Diddy.
Paul, who spent two seasons with the Syracuse Orange from 2018-2020, was accused in one lawsuit of being the embattled rapper’s “mule” who “acquired” and “distributed” guns and drugs for Combs.
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