Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs breaks silence amid sex trafficking raid
The rapper has released a defiant statement after federal officers launched a sex trafficking raid on his US estates and intercepted his private jet.
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has broken his silence following the raid on his estates, claiming he’s the victim of a “witch hunt”.
The rapper’s lawyer, Aaron Dyer, released a statement to DailyMail.com on Monday, around 24 hours after US federal law enforcement agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated,” Dyer said.
“Mr Combs was never detained but spoke to and co-operated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way.”
It comes as 25-year-old man Brendan Paul, alleged to have been working as Combs’ drug mule, was arrested at a Miami airport and taken into custody Monday afternoon on cocaine and marijuana possession charges.
In an affidavit, obtained by TMZ, officers claim that while they were working in conjunction with staffers from Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, they came across what appeared to be narcotics after intercepting Combs’ private jet.
Paul was earlier named in a lawsuit filed in February by US music producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones, who alleged that Combs sexually assaulted him and forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Jones alleged in the lawsuit that Paul “acquires and distributes” drugs and guns for Combs.
The music producer further claimed Paul would “negotiate the fees sex workers received”.On Sunday, officers were seen arriving to the rapper’s properties with guns drawn in the lavish Holmby Hills neighbourhood of LA and in Miami, as seen in video footage.
In another video, captured by TMZ, federal agents could be seen swarming Diddy’s California property while multiple helicopters hovered above.
“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,” a rep for Homeland Security Investigations told TMZ Sunday.
“We will provide further information as it becomes available.”
-With New York Post
Originally published as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs breaks silence amid sex trafficking raid
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