Diddy's Staff Allegedly Required To Carry 'Pink Cocaine,' Same Drug Found In Liam Payne's System

A complaint filed in February claims that employees of Sean "Diddy" Combs were obligated to carry "pink cocaine," the same substance that was detected in Liam Payne's system after his death.

Despite its name, the National Capital Poison Center states that "pink cocaine" typically consists of a blend of methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA and cocaine is not necessarily present in the drug.

The drug, now a hot topic since Liam Payne's death and also known as "Tuci," is referenced in a complaint filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a producer and former videographer for Combs, who sued Sean "Diddy" Combs in February, alleging sexual harassment.

The complaint, filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones and obtained by People, further alleges that Combs drugged him. It also outlines claims that drug use was widespread within the mogul's business operations.

The complaint alleges that “all employees, from the butler to the chef to the housekeepers,” were required to “walk around with a pouch or fanny pack filled with cocaine, GHB, ecstasy, marijuana gummies … and Tuci …”

"Tuci" is another name for "pink cocaine."

ABC Newsreported that a preliminary autopsy indicated that Payne, who passed away on October 16 after falling from a third-story balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, had “multiple substances” in his system, including "pink cocaine."

Addiction specialist Richard Taite told Us Weekly that “70 percent of all drugs that you buy in the street have fentanyl in it. If you’re not getting pills in a pharmacy, that’s bad. Because it’s not just fentanyl anymore; now it’s 'pink cocaine,' it’s Xylazine, it’s ketamine.”

Joseph Palamar, an associate professor at New York University who researches party drugs, revealed that pink cocaine is "becoming fashionable," comparing it to the popularity of MDMA, or "molly," in the 2000s.

He attributes the increasing popularity of the drug to its pink appearance and catchy names, noting that "tuci" (pronounced like "two C") in particular has a similar allure to "molly."

"It's all about advertising," he added.

That nickname comes from hallucinogenic drugs such as 2C-I and 2C-B, which were created in the 1970s. Palamar suggests that the term "tuci" may have originally been employed to mislead people into believing the drug was associated with the 2C class of substances, although most young recreational drug users today would likely be unaware of that reference.

Michelle Arnot, a pharmacology and toxicology professor at the University of Toronto, explains that combining different types of drugs—similar to a "speedball," which typically mixes cocaine and heroin—can increase the likelihood of hallucinations and unpredictable behavior.

"You get this interaction of all of these different drugs' effects all at the same time, which can then lead to very erratic behavior — maybe not even thinking that what you're seeing is actually happening to you, but it's happening to someone else — and then you go and do things that may not be safe or what you would normally do," she said.

His behavior was something a source close to Payne's girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, mentioned. "You could see from the Snapchat videos that he was a different person around her, the insider told People Magazine. Videos have also circulated of fans meeting Payne just days before he passed away--with many noticing "his eyes" are "very telling," meaning fans can see how depressed he was even if he didn't show it.

Following Liam Payne's death, many other celebrities who have dealt with addiction struggles or depression in the past, have come forward to shine a light on the dark side of Hollywood.

AJ McLean of The Backstreet Boys, who has grappled with his own battles with addiction throughout his career, noted that he did not observe any warning signs of addiction or depression while working with Liam Payne. However, he told TMZ that the two singers, both of whom gained fame in boy bands, shared "lots of similarities."

Lamar Odom has also spoken out, detailing his past experience with dangerous drugs. “Drugs could cause you to hallucinate—I’ve heard voices before,” Lamar told TMZ of his experience with drugs. “That’s about it.”

Before the tragedy, the 31-year-old had been candid about his journey to sobriety and the challenges he faced along the way, including a 100-day stay at a treatment facility in 2023.

“I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn't really recognize anymore," he explained in a YouTube video shared in 2023. “I was in bad shape up to that point and I was really happy more than anything when I arrived to kind of put a stopper on life and work.”