P. Diddy's entourage were stopped by French customs for trying to bring too much vodka into the country.

The hip-hop superstar had wanted to bring a large stash of his Ciroc vodka to have at his lavish parties in St. Tropez but his staff were caught with the drink by officers at Nice's Cote d'Azur airport after they jetted in from the US last week.

So the entourage - who were not accompanied by Diddy at the time - had to leave some of the bottles at the airport.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "His entourage was stopped at customs for having too much of the product. So Diddy's people left a few cases with airport agents."

A representative for Diddy - real name Sean Combs - said: "The bulk of what you have is true, Sean is hosting events throughout the French Riviera to promote the ultra-premium vodka."

In 2007, Diddy signed a deal with Ciroc vodka, which was set to make him $100 million.

The 'Hello Good Morning' hitmaker is involved in everything from marketing to deciding where to sell the alcoholic beverage, which is one of drink giants Diageo's super-premium lines.

Diddy receives 50 per cent of the profits and could earn up to $100 million if the brand performs well.

He said: "It is not an endorsement deal. This is something that will have my daily attention.

"Diageo realised I'm not just a celebrity endorser, I'm a brand builder. I'm a luxury brand builder."