LAPD raids hip-hop producer Mally Mall's home for exotic animals, human trafficking

Police raided the home of hip-hop producer Mally Mall on Wednesday in the San Fernando Valley. Authorities said the home was under investigation for human trafficking and trafficking exotic animals.

The Los Angeles Police Department worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to serve the warrant at the 'Love and Hip Hop' star's home, located in the 4400 block of Grimes Place in Encino, around 8 a.m.

Fish and Wildlife officials on the scene said investigators found an African serval inside the home. TMZ reported that a Tamarin monkey was also seized.

The famous producer, who has worked with artists like Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, Justin Bieber, and many others, is known for proudly keeping a variety of exotic animals over the years, including a Capuchin monkey named Lil Bubs and a Serval, a wild cat native to Africa, named Iris.

Michele Budish, a warden with state Fish and Wildlife, told reporters celebrities who obtain such exotic animals exacerbate problems of trafficking when they post photos of them on social media. Mally Mall posted a photo of himself with what appears to be a serval on Instagram about two months ago, and his page also includes at least one photo with a monkey.

"When people openly display these animals on their social media accounts, it creates a market for them, and as you can already assume, if the demand goes up the price for these animals go up,'' Budish said. "And these animals are taken from the wild and from their native habitat and they're trafficked. Again, we really need the public's help. Wildlife trafficking will not be tolerated in this state.''

Singer Chris Brown, who has worked with Mall, was charged with a pair of misdemeanors late last year for allegedly possessing a capuchin monkey without a permit. Brown allegedly posted a photo online of his daughter holding the monkey, possibly prompting the state investigation.

LAPD officials confirmed they were conducting a search at Mall's home in relation to a human-trafficking investigation, but details were not released.

Mall's home in Las Vegas was previously raided by the FBI back in 2014 as part of a federal human trafficking investigation, but authorities at the time also declined to release details, saying the warrants were filed under seal.

FOX 11's Christine Devine got this statement from Mally Mall:

"They came. They searched. I haven't been arrested. I haven't been charged."

CNS contributed to this report.