“‘Sold Him Cocaine Before He Fell to His Death’: Hotel Workers to Face Trial Over Liam Payne’s Final Hours”

Two Hotel Workers to Face Trial Over Alleged Drug Sales to Liam Payne Before Tragic Death

Two hotel workers accused of supplying Class A drugs to Liam Payne shortly before the former One Direction star’s tragic death in Buenos Aires are set to stand trial, Argentinian prosecutors have confirmed.

The suspects, Braian Nahuel Paiz, 25, and Ezequiel David Pereyra, 24, have been held in custody since January and are now formally facing trial for allegedly selling cocaine to the British pop singer. The charges stem from the events surrounding Payne’s death on 16 October 2024, when he fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room at the CasaSur Palermo.

Prosecutors revealed that Payne, 31, had consumed cocaine both nasally and by smoking it in his hotel suite “up to a few minutes before his death”.

In an official statement, Argentina’s public prosecution service said:

“At the request of the head of the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14, Andres Esteban Madrea, the two defendants remanded in custody as part of the court investigation into the circumstances surrounding Liam James Payne’s death, will go on trial accused of the crime of selling drugs.

“They are Braian Nahuel Paiz, 25, who met Payne while working as a waiter in a restaurant in Puerto Madero, and Ezequiel David Pereyra, 24, who was an employee at the Hotel CasaSur Palermo where the former One Direction member died… after falling from the balcony of room 310, in a proven state of intoxication with cocaine, alcohol and psychotropic drugs.”

Toxicology findings confirmed Payne had multiple substances in his system at the time of his death.
The statement added:

“The autopsy showed Liam’s death was caused by polytrauma and internal and external haemorrhaging, and it was also determined he had ethyl alcohol in a concentration of up to 2.7 grams per litre, as well as cocaine, methylecgonine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene and sertraline.

“The forensic medical specialists who performed the autopsy indicated toxicology results showed the dead man consumed cocaine via his nose as well as inhaling it by smoking the drug.”

Payne, known globally as one-fifth of the chart-topping boy band One Direction, had been staying at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel during a personal visit to Argentina. His sudden death sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and among fans worldwide.

If convicted, Paiz and Pereyra face a maximum of 15 years in prison under Argentinian drug laws. The case has attracted intense public scrutiny, not only due to Payne’s fame but also because of the tragic nature of his final hours.

The upcoming trial is expected to be closely followed both in Argentina and the UK, as the circumstances of Payne’s death continue to raise questions about accountability, mental health, and the role of substance abuse in the entertainment industry.

Neither of the accused men has yet entered a formal plea.