Where’s Diddy? — Rapper’s Whereabouts Unknown Following Coordinated Federal Raids

Photo Credit: Alexander Vaughn / CC by 2.0

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ current whereabouts are unknown following a coordinated federal raid on his Los Angeles and Miami homes amid multiple sexual assault lawsuits.Federal agents raided the East and West Coast homes of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday, but the man himself has been difficult to track down. The Bad Boy Records founder’s private jet, tracked by various media outlets during the raid, headed to Antigua, leaving many to assume he was deliberately fleeing the country. But Combs ended up not being onboard — so where is he?

Among those possibly kept for questioning during the raids include Diddy’s sons, 30-year-old Justin Combs and 25-year-old Christian “King” Combs. Multiple reports state that federal agents questioned several people just outside a home owned by Combs’ production company in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills. The music mogul was not present at either of the raid locations.

During the raids, Combs’ private jet, LoveAir LLC, reportedly departed from the Sacramento Executive Airport on the evening of March 24, landing at Palm Springs International Airport approximately an hour later. Another hour passed before the flight left Palm Springs, arriving at the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles at around 8 PM. At 9 AM the next morning, the flight departed Van Nuys and landed in Antigua.

Notably, flight tracking of the aircraft has since been made unavailable for public viewing.Following the raids on his homes, Combs was seen outside the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, according to video that showed him “pacing back and forth,” and officials reportedly seized his phones before he departed for the Caribbean.

Some of his associates were also stopped by officials; 25-year-old Brendan Paul, a known Combs associate recently accused in a lawsuit of being his “drug mule,” was taken into custody by Miami-Dade police working alongside Homeland Security agents.

The exact nature of the raid on Combs’ residences in Miami and Los Angeles is unclear. Homeland Security’s involvement suggests a widespread criminal investigation, presumably into allegations of federal sex trafficking following numerous civil lawsuits filed against him. But it isn’t yet known whether the coordinated raids were related to any of the allegations raised in those lawsuits.

It also isn’t yet clear whether Paul’s arrest is connected to the wider investigation into Combs. Arresting officers claim Paul had “contraband inside his personal travel bags; […] the suspect cocaine was located and tested.” Paul was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami, where he is being held on two $2,500 bonds for charges of cocaine possession and possession of a controlled substance.Paul was alleged to be a longtime “drug mule” for Combs in a lawsuit filed by Rodney Jones, the latest to accuse Combs of sexual assault and harassment. Among his claims, Jones says he witnessed Paul “acquire and distribute” drugs, including “ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana, mushrooms, and tuci” to Combs and associates, who then “[packed] these substances in their carry-on luggage and going through TSA.”

Perhaps the most damning evidence is contained in the hundreds of hours of video and audio footage Jones’ lawsuit alleges he accrued during his time with Combs. Whether that lawsuit — or the handful of others against him over the past several months — bears any effect on the apparent federal investigation into Combs remains to be seen.

Diddy has denied any wrongdoing in each case. Nevertheless, he stepped down from his chairmanship of Revolt TV, the media company he founded, and has since sold the remainder of his ownership to an as-yet unknown buyer. Earlier this year, liquor giant Diageo reached a private settlement with Combs, cutting him loose from their DeLeón Tequila and Cîroc Vodka brands.