Inside 'Arkham Asylum' Brooklyn MDC, The Controversial Prison That Holds Diddy, 6ix9ine, and Members of the Sinaloa Cartel

2024 has been an eventful year for the penal system of the state of New York. Multiple members of the Sinaloa cartel including Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada were also transferred to New York for drug trafficking charges. Disgraced New York rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs was arrested after being charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. And another controversial New York rapper, Daniel 'Tekashi 6ix9ine' Hernandez, was arrested for violation of his parole.

It may not be very noteworthy that these figures are being held there as both Diddy and Tekashi 6ix9ine are from New York originally, and drugs from Sinaloa have been found in New York. However, what perhaps is notable is the fact that they are all in the same prison.

Many on social media have taken note of the strange fact, with some now declaring it a real-life "Arkham Asylum," the mental institution where the superhero Batman puts his criminal enemies.

The comparisons seem to have struck a chord with users and many are making direct comparisons to some of Batman's rogues gallery. Tekashi 6ix9ine's colorful rainbow hair and flamboyant personality are reminiscent of Batman's arch-enemy, The Joker. Diddy, while less out there than most Batman villains has garnered the nickname "The Diddler" as the word "diddle" has become slang for sexual molestation and sounds like another notable Batman villain, The Riddler.

While "El Mayo" and other cartel members don't have a direct Batman villain analog, they could be compared to some of the mafia bosses that Batman fights like Carmine Falcone, Salvatore Maroni, and Oswald 'The Penguin' Cobblepot, who currently has a hit show on HBO.

The prison they are all being held in is the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center or Brooklyn MDC, an infamous prison in New York City that has a reputation for its infamous prisoners and inhumane conditions.

Some of its former inmates include another alleged predatorial musician R. Kelly, 'Smallville' actress Allison Mack, former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, and currently cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried.

Brooklyn MDC, which resides in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, has an estimated 1,372 prisoners and is an important prison for those facing charges in the Eastern District of New York.

Former warden Cameron Lindsey called it "one of the most problematic, if not the most problematic, of the Bureau of Prisons facilities." The prison has faced criticism for overcrowding and alleged human rights violations but remains a holding facility frequently used by law enforcement for alleged criminals in the city.