Drugs, weapons and electronics seized during sweep at Brooklyn federal jail where 'Diddy' is held

NEW YORK -- Investigators seized drugs, homemade weapons and physics devices this week during an “interagency operation” aimed astatine cleaning up nan troubled New York City national jailhouse successful wherever Sean “Diddy” Combs is being held, nan Bureau of Prisons said Friday.

The contraband was identified and confiscated during a multi-agency expanse that began Monday astatine nan Metropolitan Detention Center successful Brooklyn. The operation, which continued passim nan week, progressive nan Bureau of Prisons, nan Justice Department inspector wide and different local, authorities and national rule enforcement agencies.

The rule enforcement cognition was “preplanned and coordinated to guarantee nan information and security” of unit and inmates astatine nan facility, nan agency said. It was portion of a “larger information and information inaugural and not successful consequence to immoderate peculiar threat aliases intelligence.”

The expanse was not connected to Combs’ detention, which has galvanized nationalist liking successful nan jail. No criminal charges person been revenge successful relationship pinch nan sweep.

Combs’ lawyers person highlighted a litany of horrors astatine nan jailhouse — including deplorable conditions, rampant unit and aggregate deaths — arsenic they’ve made repeated attempts to get him released connected bail while he awaits proceedings adjacent May connected activity trafficking charges.

The hip-hop mogul’s detention and a rash of crimes connected to nan jailhouse successful caller months person shined a spotlight connected MDC Brooklyn, starring to increased scrutiny and a push by nan Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons to hole problems and clasp perpetrators accountable.

In September, federal prosecutors charged 9 inmates successful a spate of attacks from April to August astatine nan Metropolitan Detention Center, nan only national jailhouse successful New York City. The allegations elaborate superior information and information issues astatine nan jail, including charges aft 2 inmates were stabbed to decease and different was speared successful nan spine pinch a makeshift icepick. A correctional serviceman was besides charged pinch shooting astatine a car during an unauthorized high-speed chase.

In October, an inmate was charged successful a murder-for-hire crippled that led to nan decease of a 28-year-old female past December extracurricular a New York City nightclub. According to prosecutors, nan inmate utilized a contraband cellphone to orchestrate nan crippled from down bars while awaiting sentencing for directing a different shooting years earlier.

The criminal charges offered a model into nan unit and dysfunction that person plagued nan jail, which houses astir 1,200 people, including Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried, nan laminitis of nan collapsed FTX cryptocurrency exchange. The full is down from much than 1,600 successful January.

The facility, successful an business area connected nan Brooklyn waterfront, is utilized chiefly for post-arrest detention for group awaiting proceedings successful national courts successful Manhattan aliases Brooklyn. Other inmates are location to service short sentences pursuing convictions.

Those held astatine nan Brooklyn jailhouse person agelong complained astir violence, dreadful conditions, terrible staffing shortages and nan wide smuggling of narcotics and different contraband, immoderate of it facilitated by employees. At nan aforesaid time, they opportunity they’ve been taxable to predominant lockdowns and person been barred from leaving their cells for visits, calls, showers aliases exercise.

Twice denied bail, Combs is now asking nan 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to assistance his release. Arguments are scheduled for Nov. 4.

Combs lawyer Mark Agnifilo, who had antecedently sought to person him moved to a jailhouse successful New Jersey, said astatine an Oct. 10 hearing: “We’re making a spell of nan MDC. The MDC has been very responsive for us.”

Another Combs lawyer, Anthony Ricco, told reporters extracurricular nan courthouse afterward: “He’s doing fine. It’s a difficult circumstance. He’s making nan champion of nan situation.”

But, Ricco added: “Nobody’s OK pinch staying successful jailhouse for now.”