Drugs & Alcohol

Conor McGregor wasn't stopped by COVID or a Dustin Poirier loss, 'cause the UFC superstar was the world's highest-earning athlete in 2020 ... reportedly raking in $180 MILLION!!

The 32-year-old earned a whopping $22 million for his UFC 252 2nd-round TKO loss to Diamond, but according to Forbes annual list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes ... it was the whiskey money that carried McGregor to the top spot on the list.

Conor earned $158 million outside the Octagon ... and an overwhelming majority of that cash came from his sale of Proper 12 Irish Whiskey.

This marks the first time McGregor -- consistently one of the highest-paid athletes -- has topped the list.

In 2018, The Notorious came in 4th ... earning $99 million -- largely from his superfight with Floyd Mayweather.

Speaking of Money Mayweather ... Floyd -- who didn't fight in 2020 -- failed to make the list.

As far as the remainder of the top 10 ... there are 3 international soccer players, 2 NBA players, 2 NFL QB's, a race car driver and a tennis player.

2️⃣ Lionel Messi $130 mil.
3️⃣ Cristiano Ronaldo $120 mil.
4️⃣ Dak Prescott $107.5 mil.
5️⃣ LeBron James $96.5 mil.
6️⃣ Neymar $95 mil.
7️⃣ Roger Federer $90 mil.
8️⃣ Lewis Hamilton $82 mil.
9️⃣ Tom Brady $76.
🔟 Kevin Durant $75 mil.

What's funny ... back in 2016, Conor joked with then highest-paid athlete, Ronaldo ... telling the soccer superstar that he was coming for the #1 spot.

Took a few years ... but, mission accomplished!

Bob Baffert says he will NOT let Medina Spirit's positive drug test get in the way of his Triple Crown bid ... claiming he plans to run the horse in the Preakness this weekend.

Of course, Baffert was suspended indefinitely by Churchill Downs on Sunday after Medina Spirit was popped for a banned substance following his victory at the Kentucky Derby.

68-year-old Baffert -- by far the most famous and successful trainer in horseracing history -- has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing ... but it's the 5th time one of Bob's horses has tested positive for an illegal substance in the past 13 months and many are skeptical.

But, Baffert appeared on Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom" on Monday to defend himself and said matter of factly, "We did not cheat to win the Kentucky Derby."

Baffert claims he has no idea how the substance (betamethasone) got into the horse's system -- but says he's hired his own team of investigators to look into the matter.

"We hired investigators but sometimes you never find out. It’s just a tragedy what happened in this race."

Bob also claims the amount of betamethasone in Medina Spirit's system  was so low, it "wouldn’t have any effect on the horse anyway."

Despite his suspension from Churchill Downs in Kentucky, Baffert made it clear he plans to run Medina at the Preakness on Saturday, set to take place at the famous Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

"With all the noise ... We live in a different world now. This America is different. It was like a cancel culture kind of a thing so they’re reviewing it. I haven’t been told anything. We’re prepared to run."

Baffert's attorney, Craig Robertson, also told Fox News ... if Medina Spirit is blocked from the Preakness, they are prepared to file for a temporary restraining order against race officials in the hopes a judge will overrule the ban and clear the way for the horse to run.

Jay-Z could be in the process of starting his own production company ... at least it seems that way based on the trademark application his company has filed.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Hova's company, S. Carter Enterprises, filed to trademark "2/J" on May 3 for "entertainment services in the nature of creation, development, and production" of television programming, TV series, movies and similar projects.

Too early to tell, but it sure seems like Jay's laying the groundwork to start a production co.

It would be rather fitting if Jay-Z, a music and business mogul, starts his own production company. He's already made a fortune on his own cognac with D'Usse, the streaming service Tidal and, of course, his massively successful entertainment firm, Roc Nation. And, just last year, he launched his own premium cannabis brand, Monogram.

Jay would be following in the footsteps of entertainment moguls who have their own production companies ... like Spike Lee's 40 Acres, Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions and LeBron James' SpringHill Company, which reportedly has already amassed an impressive portfolio of deals and partnerships in the media world.

Johnny Depp's relationship with George Jung went far beyond their "Blow" connection ... and it's on display in a new docuseries about the late and infamous drug smuggler.

In this clip, obtained by TMZ, Depp calls Jung, AKA Boston George, "one of my favorite people instantly" ... describing their first meeting as the actor was preparing for his role in the film inspired by Jung's life.

Chris Chesson, Executive Producer of "Boston George: Famous Without the Fortune," says they began working on the 5-part series in December 2016, right as a parole violation sent Jung back behind bars for 8 months.

Chris says full production began in July 2017, and the crew filmed with Depp in May 2019. The rights to the completed documentary were purchased by 123 Go Films, which is shopping it to networks and streaming services.

Based on this exclusive clip, and the trailer, it seems like there should be some takers ... especially on the heels of Jung passing away.

Michael Alig -- one of the ringleaders of the Club Kids -- died from an overdose of several hard drugs ... TMZ has learned.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in NYC tells us ... Alig's cause of death was acute intoxication by fentanyl, acetylfentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.

We broke the story ... Alig -- the notorious club promoter who was the subject of the 2003 Macaulay Culkin movie "Party Monster" and the 2015 documentary 'Glory Daze' -- was found dead in his NYC home on Christmas.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... a friend discovered Alig unconscious and unresponsive on his bed and called 911. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

We're told cops found 2 to 3 small bags of heroin and other empty bags near his body ... prompting their suspicion he'd died from an OD. The Medical Examiner says it was an accidental overdose.

Michael Lohan's out on bond following his arrest for patient brokering ... but he's gotta abide by some special rules while his case is pending trial.

As we reported ... Lindsay's father was booked into jail in South Florida last week for allegedly getting illegal kickbacks from a rehab facility where he referred drug addicts.

Lohan's bond was set at $6k -- $1,000 for each count of illegal patient brokering -- but the judge also imposed additional conditions for Lohan's release.

According to docs ... Michael may not work in the substance abuse treatment industry, and can't have any affiliation with licensed healthcare facilities like treatment centers or clinical lab testing sites.

Lohan's also prohibited from having any contact with co-defendants or any alleged co-conspirators -- and same goes for witnesses in his case, including all involved patients listed in the original probable cause affidavit.

As we told you ... Michael's accused of cutting deals where he referred drug addicts to a rehab center, and got paid -- allegedly more than $25k -- for those referrals.

This is equal parts sad and wild -- a dog trainer in New Zealand has been disqualified from racing ... after one of her winning greyhounds tested positive for METH.

It's crazy ... but unfortunately, it's true.

Here's what happened ... trainer Angela Helen Turnwald and her dog, Zipping Sarah, secured first place at the Addington Raceway in Christchurch last November ... earning a $4,000 prize, according to the New Zealand Herald.

But, the money never made it to Turnwald's pockets ... after her winning doggo's post-race urine test was flagged for amphetamine and methamphetamine.

The Judicial Control Authority for Racing investigated ... and while it was unable to determine "a deliberate wrongdoing," an example had to be made for the rest of the sport ... and Turnwald was hit with a 4-month ban from competition.

JCA chairman Warwick Gendall QC spoke about the probe ... saying, "Methamphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant which poses significant animal welfare issues and the level of Amphetamine (as it metabolized from Methamphetamine) in the sample was particularly large."

Gendall added Turnwald -- who previously had a spotless record -- had several people vouch for her character ... but it was important to show there was a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to illegal performance-enhancing substances.

Turnwald's suspension starts April 30 ... and she will also have to pay $3,500 in fines.

Michael Lohan has been arrested again ... this time for allegedly getting illegal kickbacks from a rehab facility.

Lindsay Lohan's dad was taken into custody on 6 counts of illegal patient brokering ... this according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's website.

The 60-year-old allegedly cut deals where he referred drug addicts to a Florida facility and got money for each referral. According to authorities, "Patient brokering corrupts our health care system because decisions are motivated by greed instead of patient needs."

Lohan allegedly got checks totaling more than $25,000.

South Florida, where Lohan has been in the rehab biz for years, is considered the recovery capital of the world. Authorities say the prime patient is someone with good health insurance, so some recovery centers will give these kickbacks because the facility will in turn get paid through the insurance company.

Lohan has had his issues with the law in the past ... domestic violence and restraining order issues among others.

TMZ Sports has obtained police video from Justin Layne's arrest Friday ... and the Steelers DB can be heard in the back of a squad car saying, "They acting like I got some drugs -- I got one blunt!"

The 23-year-old -- who was a Steelers third-round pick in 2019 -- was pulled over after cops say he was doing 89 MPH in a 60 MPH zone in his 2020 Dodge Charger.

During the stop, officers put him in the back of a patrol car while they searched his ride ... and that's when Layne got on the phone with some of his friends to talk them through his situation.

While on the line ... Layne can be heard telling one friend, "I'm nervous as f***, bro. They about to get me."

Layne continued, "They might get me for the pistol, bro." He later told his friend that he had a blunt in the car.

Cops say they eventually found weed residue, a grinder and a loaded Glock 9mm pistol during their search of his car ... and released photos of their findings to TMZ Sports.

Layne was ultimately arrested and booked on a felony charge of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.

What's interesting ... Layne mentioned twice during the stop he was an NFL player -- and even at one point told an officer he played for the Steelers.

For their part, the Steelers said they were aware of the situation and were gathering more information.

Oscar De La Hoya is admitting to what many already knew ... he WAS boozed up during his appearance at the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight ... and now he's apologizing.

48-year-old Oscar was a babbling mess when he joined the announcer's table to commentate during one of the undercard fights at the April 17 event in Georgia ... leaving many wondering if something was wrong with the boxing legend.

In fact, Frank Mir -- who was fighting Steve Cunningham when Oscar joined the broadcast -- tweeted after the fight that he hopes Oscar's people get him professional help for his issues.

"I could be angry and I could laugh too but addiction is no joke, I know," Mir said ... "I sincerely hope that those around Oscar get him the help he needs."

As you may know, Oscar has publicly talked about his battles with substance abuse over the years ... and has sought treatment on several occasions.

But, Oscar is playing off the situation as no big deal ... saying he just got caught up in the party atmosphere at the event -- which included live performances from Snoop and Justin Bieber -- and simply drank too much.

"I started having a couple drinks. And then [the Triller producers] told me, ‘Why don’t you go and commentate?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, man! Okay, okay,'" Oscar said this week on the DAZN Boxing show.

"I got a little over carried away. And I apologize. But it’s all good. It’s all good."

There's a huge crowd of COVID-19 vaccinated New Yorkers lining up for free weed on the unofficial marijuana holiday ... and if this doesn't convince people to get the shot, these stoners don't know what will!!!

We got cannabis rights activist Todd Hinden at the "Joints For Jabs" event Tuesday in NYC's Union Square Park, where they're expecting over 2,000 folks to show up for the free ganja giveaway.

Todd says organizers twisted up about 4,000 joints -- he says he rolled a half pound of grass himself -- and as you can see, the line for free bud is stretching around the block!

It's all legal too, thanks to New York's recent recreational marijuana legislation, but if ya wanna spark it up ... ya gotta show proof of vaccination for the hook-up.

A little over 42 percent of New Yorkers have gotten at least one jab, and Todd tell us why the event might help push the vaccination rate even higher.

Juelz Santana is staying grounded in New Jersey, a judge just denied his big trip to sunny South Florida -- this after the feds claim the rapper failed a drug test -- but his team believes it's a mistake.

According to new legal docs, the Dipset MC was asking for permission to fly down to Miami this month for work, but when he asked the court for approval, the feds said he wasn't fully following the rules of his supervised release, and a judge put the kibosh on the whole thing.

Remember ... Juelz is on supervised release after serving 19 months in prison as part of a 27-month sentence in his airport drug case. So, he has to get permission to travel outside NJ, and take mandatory drug tests.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Juelz was planning to travel to Miami with 2 convicted felons -- a no-no under supervised release -- and the Assistant U.S. Attorney also says his recent urine sample tested positive for opiates and methadone.

Add it all up, and the judge ended up denying the request.

A high school basketball coach in North Carolina was shot to death while trying to steal drugs and money from a stash house used by a violent Mexican drug cartel, officials say.

Yeah, this is one of the craziest stories we've ever heard.

Officials have identified Barney Harris -- who worked as a coach and teacher at Union Academy in Monroe.

Investigators say Harris was also part of a "criminal organization" that was hell-bent on robbing some of the most dangerous people in town ... the Sinaloa New Generation Cartel.

According to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, Harris -- along with "a team of people" -- snuck into a mobile home park on April 8 to clean out a "stash house" used by the Cartel.

Harris allegedly entered the stash house first and captured one of the Cartel members, Alonso Beltran Lara.

Officials say Lara was subsequently tied up and shot twice in the head, execution-style.

At some point during the incident, officials say another suspected Cartel member entered the home and a gun battle broke out.

"It was almost like an old western shootout," Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said.

"What was found was over 30-some shell casings in the trailer and outside the trailer, and three other mobile homes, in that particular park, with bullet holes in them."

When cops arrived at the scene, they found Harris shot to death in one of the bedrooms. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest and mask at the time. But, officials say his vest was no match for the high-powered weapons that were used against him.

Officials say they found Lara still alive and raced him to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Sheriff Johnson says investigators searched the crime scene and found 5 guns, roughly $7,000 in cash and more than a KILO of what they believe to be cocaine.

The concern now ... officials are VERY worried about violent retaliation from the Cartel.

"When we are dealing with the Mexican drug cartel ... somebody is probably gonna die as a result of this," Sheriff Johnson said.

"The Mexican cartels, they don't forget. They're gonna pay somebody back, somewhere and that concerns me."

Bobby Brown is steadfast in his belief that his ex-wife, Whitney Houston, and their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, died in similar ways because the same person was responsible for both of their deaths.

Bobby put the blame squarely on the late Nick Gordon -- Bobbi Kristina's boyfriend at the time of her death -- during the new episode of "Red Table Talk." He tells Jada Pinkett Smith and co. that he believes Nick supplied Whitney and Bobbi with the drugs that ultimately killed them.

It's been known for many years that Bobbi Kristina's family suspected Gordon killed her -- and Nick was found legally liable for her death in civil court -- but when Bobby was asked if he thinks Gordon killed Whitney too, he replied ... "I believe so."

Bobby points out that Nick was the only person present for both Whitney and Bobbi's situations -- they both overdosed in bathtubs ... Whitney in 2012 and Bobbi in 2015.

He claims Nick was the kind of guy who provided party favors, and it's clear Bobby thinks that's why his ex-wife and daughter are gone.

It should be noted ... cops investigated Gordon in connection with Bobbi's death for years, but he was never charged. He was never a known suspect in Whitney's death.

Britt Reid -- Andy Reid's son and a former assistant on the Chiefs' coaching staff -- has been hit with a felony DWI charge stemming from his role in a violent Feb. car crash ... law enforcement announced Monday.

In court docs, prosecutors said they've officially levied a "Dwi - Serious Physical Injury" charge on the 35-year-old. If convicted, Britt faces up to 7 years behind bars.

As we previously reported, Britt was involved in a bad 3-car crash near Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City back on Feb. 4 -- just 3 days before K.C.'s appearance in Super Bowl LV.

Britt was accused of slamming his pickup truck into two cars that had pulled over on the side of the I-435 highway at around 9 p.m.

The collision caused serious injuries to a 5-year-old girl, Ariel Young, who was in a coma following the crash.

According to the girl's family, Ariel remains in the hospital and has been showing signs of improvement ... but "she still has a long road to recovery."

Investigators say Britt had told them he had taken Adderall and drank before getting behind the wheel. They added in court docs Britt did not perform well during field sobriety tests.

Britt had been placed on leave by the Chiefs following the accident ... but he's now no longer employed by the NFL team.

Tributes have been pouring in since DMX took his last breath Friday ... and one fan credits him with forging an understanding about her own dad who was gripped by addiction.

The woman wrote, "DMX is the reason I forgave my father after he passed for his years of addiction. We met in 2017 after I heard him from my room in the hallway of my hotel. It was all divine intervention. I ran to the hallway & met him. We spoke for 15 mins."

She goes on ... "We spoke about addiction & he encouraged me to forgive my father for what he couldn’t control. He said 'forgive him.' I needed to hear that. Of all people, it came from someone I grew up listening to bc of my dad ... Sometimes in the moment you don’t understand the significance of a moment until it’s passed. To this day, I credit X for helping me learn forgiveness. I am praying that he gives himself grace — in this lifetime and beyond. His words and impact have left a deep legacy."