About when the feds were raiding Diddy's homes to look for evidence of sex trafficking, Branden Paul -- his alleged drug mule -- was arrested in Miami for possessing cocaine and marijuana candy.

Paul has accepted a deal and will not serve jail time. Instead, he will enter a six-month diversion program.

"Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s offer to permit his entry into the diversion program which, after completion, the case against him will be dismissed in its entirety," said Brian Bieber, Paul's attorney.

Prosecutors characterized the deal as "standard" for non-violent first-time offenders.

Paul, who played college basketball at Syracuse, was Puffy's main assistant.  In Lil Rod's lawsuit against The Diddler, he claimed that Paul handles Diddy's drugs and guns for him.