Argentine prosecutors have filed charges against three men for allegedly providing narcotics to pop singer Liam Payne, who fatally plunged from his third-floor hotel balcony in a drug-fueled frenzy last month.
All three suspects are being sought for arrest and questioning in connection with criminal counts including “abandonment of a person followed by death” and “supply and facilitation of narcotics,” according to the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14.
The first man accused was with the troubled former One Direction member “on a daily basis” during his stay in Buenos Aires, according to the prosecutor’s office.
A second defendant was an employee of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, who allegedly sold cocaine to Payne during his stay.
The third man, described only as “a drug supplier,” is said to have also provided the crooner with drugs on two different occasions on Oct. 14 — two days before his fatal plunge.
The office said the charges were filed after analyzing more than 800 hours of video footage from security cameras both in and near the hotel and receiving “dozens” of testimonies from “hotel staff, family members, friends, medical professionals, biochemists and psychiatrists,” culminating in a 180-page ruling.
Before announcing the charges, Argentine authorities conducted nine raids of homes in the Buenos Aires area, and a “forensic extraction” of Payne’s cellphone, during which they analyzed his calls, chats and social media posts for additional evidence.
The office reiterated that the 31-year-old was likely unconscious or in a near-unconscious state when he fell from the balcony on Oct. 16, and that he died instantly of massive internal and external injuries.
Witnesses also said Payne was acting erratically in the hours before his death — including smashing his laptop and offering a mystery woman $20,000. His hotel room had also been trashed, with evidence of extensive drug use shown in photos of the scene.
ABC News had reported the pop star died with a toxic stew of narcotics in his system, including “pink cocaine” — aka “tusi” — reportedly a favorite intoxicant of disgraced and imprisoned hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
However, the prosecutor’s office said the only drugs in his system were alcohol, cocaine and an unspecified prescription antidepressant.
“Beyond the conclusive evidence that has been obtained so far … the investigation must continue, since, among other procedures, the unlocking of the victim’s personal netbook — which is broken — and other devices seized in the investigation are still in progress,” the office wrote.
Geoff Payne, Liam’s father, flew to Argentina two days after the singer’s death but was unable to repatriate his body to his native England until Nov. 7.
