Liam Payne was ‘preyed on’ by dealers: Singer had been clean ‘for weeks’ and was winning battle against his demons in US before he was given drugs at Buenos Aires hotel, close friend says

Liam Payne had got clean from drugs and was winning the battle against his demons while living in the US – but was dragged back into despair by drug dealers who preyed on him at a hotel in Buenos Aires, a close friend has revealed.

The 31-year-old former One Direction singer had struggled with poor mental health for years and had sought treatment for his excessive alcohol and drug consumption.

But Payne had recently got clean and had been taken on by new psychiatrist in Miami where he hoped to start a new life with girlfriend Kate Cassidy.

However, his recovery was shattered during his ill-fated trip to Argentina to renew his US visa when he was targeted by drug dealers who delivered them to his hotel room.

An initial toxicology report suggested Payne had been exposed to cocaine before his death – although did not reveal the amount in his system.

A close friend of the star revealed: ‘Liam had been clean for weeks. He had been to rehab more than once. He had had treatment in the UK and in California.

Liam Payne is pictured with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy at a premiere in London in March 2023

Fans remember Liam Payne at the Peter Pan statue at Kensington Gardens in London on Sunday

‘And he had recently been taken on by a new psychiatrist in Florida. Everyone around Liam hoped that he was on the path to recovery.

‘He went to Argentina to renew his USA visa where he had to undergo medical examination because of his history with alcohol and drugs.

‘The results of the tests were good. Liam was 100 per cent sober. But when he checked in at the hotel, at some point someone there started giving him drugs.

‘Liam had tried really hard to get clean, then they preyed on him. These people only care about money. They didn’t care about his health.’

Staff at the Casa Sur Hotel where Payne fell to his death are being investigated on suspicion of supplying the star with drugs in the days leading up to the tragedy.

The men are accused of smuggling various narcotics into the singer’s suite at the boutique hotel in the upmarket district of Palermo.

TMZ reported that a cocktail of drugs called ‘pink cocaine’ – containing methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA – had been found during a partial autopsy, along with crack cocaine and benzodiazepine. The site quoted an anonymous source.

The full toxicology results are not expected to be made public for several weeks.

Payne’s autopsy concluded that the traumatic injuries that caused his death were consistent with his three-story fall from the hotel window. Prosecutors have ruled out anyone else being involved.

Fans gather during a tribute for Payne at Cathedral Gardens in Manchester on Sunday evening

A singer performs as Payne’s fans gather to pay tribute at Jardin des Tuileries in Paris on Sunday

A cleaner and another member of staff are said to have hidden the drugs in a Dove soap box which detectives found in Payne’s room following his death.

White powder, traces of chemical crystals, prescription tablets and other drug paraphernalia were discovered in the third-floor suite.

Police have sent the chemicals – believed to be cocaine and crack cocaine – away for analysis.

Detectives are also investigating why a taxi was booked in Payne’s name to go to a poverty-stricken neighbourhood 15 miles away.

The address in the city of Lomas de Zamora is said to match up with a man suspected of being involved in supplying the substance, sources said.

The confidant explained: ‘There were two guys at the hotel that were giving Liam drugs. They sent taxis out to collect packages for him.

Fans watch as emergency services work at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16

‘One of the guys was working in the cleaning department. After Liam died, they noticed that one taxi was sent to the cleaner’s home address.

‘The hotel manager asked him why the taxi had gone to his home and when he couldn’t give an explanation he was fired.

‘The cleaner and another member of staff have been interviewed by the police.’

The friend added: ‘Liam was doing everything to stay clean but as soon as he got to the hotel these people were offering him alcohol and drugs.’

Payne died after he fell from the balcony of his third-floor suite at the hotel last Wednesday afternoon.

The father-of-one died from multiple injuries, a post mortem revealed.

Forensic teams arrive at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires to investigate on October 16

But Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office is currently treating his death as ‘inconclusive’ while they await the results of toxicological examinations.

Lead investigator, Prosecutor Marcelo Roma, is probing what role his consumption of illegal drugs and prescription medication had in his death.

The results of these tests are expected to take between ten and 15 days.

Payne’s father Geoff Payne arrived in the Argentine capital at the end of last week to formally identify his son’s body and to arrange for its repatriation back to the UK once it is released by the authorities.

The singer’s funeral is expected to take place in November.