LIAM Payne was plied with drugs supplied by a hotel worker just 24 hours after being told he was clean, cops believe.
Argentine investigators suspect the drugs found in the tragic One Direction star’s Buenos Aires hotel room were sourced in a poverty-stricken neighbourhood 15 miles away.
This is understood to be the final photo of Liam
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Cops believe two hotel workers could have supplied the star with drugs
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Fans have left a shrine of tributes to Liam Payne outside the CasaSur Hotel in Buenos AiresCredit: Reuters
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A drone view showing the pool area at the hotel where Liam tragically diedCredit: AP
An 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 say.
Police are investigating two hotel staff in connection with the deals including a cleaner at the CasaSur boutique hotel.
It is believed they hid the drugs in a Dove Soap box which can be seen in pictures inside Liam’s room.
A pal of Liam’s last night told The Sun the star had been given the all-clear on a drugs test last Tuesday – the day before he plunged 45ft to his death from his third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.The pop star had “tried really hard to get clean”, the pal claimed before being “preyed upon” by the hotel workers.
They said dad-of-one Liam had entered Argentina on September 30 with the aim of renewing his American visa.
They claim that when Liam spoke to US embassy officials, they queried his previous stints in rehab and said he needed to take a drug test to prove he was clean to have his renewal approved.
They added: “The embassy said Liam needed to do a strict investigation including X-rays and a blood test to search for traces of drugs.He was examined by a US Embassy-certified doctor and last Tuesday collected his results, which showed he was clean, the friend said.
“He collected his results on Tuesday and they showed he was clean.
“On the weekend at his friend’s ranch, he was completely sober.
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Emotional clip resurfaces as Liam Payne admits ‘I became someone I didn’t recognise’ after receiving ‘death threats’
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Liam, pictured above with his girlfriend Kate CassidyCredit: snapchat
“When he checked in at the hotel, at some point someone there started giving him drugs.”
A source alleged hotel staff had started selling Liam drugs at some point in the time he checked in at 11pm last Sunday.
They said they did not know what drugs Liam was buying or how much he had spent on them.
However reports from US media have suggested he was under the influence of Cristal, a hallucinogenic substance which causes psychotic episodes.
Police suspect Liam suffered an episode while high and drunk.
It has been reported that multiple staff members were set to be fired over allegedly supplying drugs to Liam.
The insider said: “Liam had tried really hard to get clean, then he’s been preyed upon.
“These people just care about money – they don’t care about putting people’s lives in danger.
“It’s an evil trade. This is all just tragic.”
Guests saw him behaving erratically in the hotel lobby moments before he died at 5.07pm, with reports of him smashing up his laptop.
He spent some of his final hours at the hotel with two local blonde women, who The Sun on Sunday yesterday revealed are Aldana Serrano, 27, and Lucila Goitea, 31.
He was also said to have been seen arguing with a woman over payment.
During his time in Argentina, Liam watched his old 1D bandmate Niall Horan perform and spent time playing polo at a ranch with pals and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25.
Among Liam’s group was his Argentinian friend Roger Nores, who was seen with him at the hotel and who accused staff of supplying drugs to the singer.
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A distraught Geoff Payne, Liam Payne’s dad, waves to fans outside the hotel in ArgentinaCredit: Reuters
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Geoff looks down at the masses of flowers, cards and candles left out to honour his son LiamCredit: Getty
A source close to Roger said he last saw Liam for ten minutes on Wednesday, and that he left the hotel at 3.30pm.
The insider said: “Roger told him, ‘I’ve got to run’ and Liam said, ‘Go do your own thing’. That was the last thing they said to each other.”
“Roger is upset – at one point on Wednesday he was phoned by a hotel manager who said they had found Liam asleep on the floor of the elevator.
“They moved him to the sofa in the hotel lobby but the manager said he couldn’t stay there, and that he needed to go to his room.
“In the emergency call, they said they were worried Liam’s life was in danger because he was in a room with a balcony.
“Why didn’t they just let him stay sleeping in the lobby if they were worried about this?”
A pal of Roger told us: “Liam’s behaviour hadn’t been off at all – he was happy.
It is understood Roger has spoken to police and the District Attorney, and that he is in touch with Liam’s dad Geoff.
Meanwhile, Liam’s old performing arts teacher Jodie Richards revealed she was in touch with him just hours before he died.
Jodie, who taught Liam at Pink Productions in his home town of Wolverhampton, West Mids, said: “I spoke to him about five hours before it happened so from my point of view I am really shocked.
“There was no cause of concern – he was having a chilled-out morning so I’m not sure what happened.
“It was about 4am our time [when Liam messaged] saying ‘are you still up?’.
“I messaged him when I was up and taking the kids to school to say ‘I’m up now’.
“I said, ‘What are you doing?’ and he said, ‘I’m just chilling’ and he said [he was in] Argentina.
“I said, ‘That sounds good’ and that was the last time I spoke to him.
Hours after he had gone through all of that.”
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A smashed up TV and champagne glasses were also picturedCredit: Clarin
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White powder and burnt aluminium foil were allegedly pictured inside Liam’s hotel roomCredit: Clarin
Health struggles
Liam often spoke about the dark side of fame, revealing how the constant media attention and pressure from being in the spotlight took a significant toll on his mental health.
One of the more painful admissions from Liam’s interview was his battle with alcohol, which began during his time with the band.
As One Direction skyrocketed to fame, the group members were often confined to hotel rooms, where mini-bars were their only outlet.
“The best way to secure us was to lock us in our rooms, and what is in the room? A mini-bar,” the ex-1D band member told the podcast.
“So I had a party-for-one that seemed to carry on for many years of my life.”
Liam was brutally honest about his health issues in recent years.
His journey through fame came with its costs as he disclosed that he had suffered from social anxiety and struggled to maintain his mental well-being while under immense pressure.
Despite the joyful moments of his meteoric rise to fame, Liam’s struggles with mental health, addiction, and the weight of his stardom were a constant undercurrent.
He had been working on his sobriety in recent years, candidly discussing his difficult relationship with alcohol.
He admitted that he spent time in a US wellness clinic after he “hit rock bottom”.
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He also told how a mystery respiratory illness left him floored in 2021.
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Liam, pictured above with his girlfriend Kate CassidyCredit: snapchat
“When he checked in at the hotel, at some point someone there started giving him drugs.”
A source alleged hotel staff had started selling Liam drugs at some point in the time he checked in at 11pm last Sunday.
They said they did not know what drugs Liam was buying or how much he had spent on them.
However reports from US media have suggested he was under the influence of Cristal, a hallucinogenic substance which causes psychotic episodes.
Police suspect Liam suffered an episode while high and drunk.
It has been reported that multiple staff members were set to be fired over allegedly supplying drugs to Liam.
The insider said: “Liam had tried really hard to get clean, then he’s been preyed upon.
“These people just care about money – they don’t care about putting people’s lives in danger.
“It’s an evil trade. This is all just tragic.”
Guests saw him behaving erratically in the hotel lobby moments before he died at 5.07pm, with reports of him smashing up his laptop.
He spent some of his final hours at the hotel with two local blonde women, who The Sun on Sunday yesterday revealed are Aldana Serrano, 27, and Lucila Goitea, 31.
He was also said to have been seen arguing with a woman over payment.
During his time in Argentina, Liam watched his old 1D bandmate Niall Horan perform and spent time playing polo at a ranch with pals and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25.
Among Liam’s group was his Argentinian friend Roger Nores, who was seen with him at the hotel and who accused staff of supplying drugs to the singer.
A distraught Geoff Payne, Liam Payne’s dad, waves to fans outside the hotel in ArgentinaCredit: Reuters
Geoff looks down at the masses of flowers, cards and candles left out to honour his son LiamCredit: Getty
A source close to Roger said he last saw Liam for ten minutes on Wednesday, and that he left the hotel at 3.30pm.
The insider said: “Roger told him, ‘I’ve got to run’ and Liam said, ‘Go do your own thing’. That was the last thing they said to each other.”
“Roger is upset – at one point on Wednesday he was phoned by a hotel manager who said they had found Liam asleep on the floor of the elevator.
“They moved him to the sofa in the hotel lobby but the manager said he couldn’t stay there, and that he needed to go to his room.
“In the emergency call, they said they were worried Liam’s life was in danger because he was in a room with a balcony.
“Why didn’t they just let him stay sleeping in the lobby if they were worried about this?”
A pal of Roger told us: “Liam’s behaviour hadn’t been off at all – he was happy.
It is understood Roger has spoken to police and the District Attorney, and that he is in touch with Liam’s dad Geoff.
Meanwhile, Liam’s old performing arts teacher Jodie Richards revealed she was in touch with him just hours before he died.
Jodie, who taught Liam at Pink Productions in his home town of Wolverhampton, West Mids, said: “I spoke to him about five hours before it happened so from my point of view I am really shocked.
“There was no cause of concern – he was having a chilled-out morning so I’m not sure what happened.
“It was about 4am our time [when Liam messaged] saying ‘are you still up?’.
“I messaged him when I was up and taking the kids to school to say ‘I’m up now’.
“I said, ‘What are you doing?’ and he said, ‘I’m just chilling’ and he said [he was in] Argentina.
“I said, ‘That sounds good’ and that was the last time I spoke to him.
Hours after he had gone through all of that.”
A smashed up TV and champagne glasses were also picturedCredit: Clarin
White powder and burnt aluminium foil were allegedly pictured inside Liam’s hotel room
Health struggles
Liam often spoke about the dark side of fame, revealing how the constant media attention and pressure from being in the spotlight took a significant toll on his mental health.
One of the more painful admissions from Liam’s interview was his battle with alcohol, which began during his time with the band.
As One Direction skyrocketed to fame, the group members were often confined to hotel rooms, where mini-bars were their only outlet.
“The best way to secure us was to lock us in our rooms, and what is in the room? A mini-bar,” the ex-1D band member told the podcast.
“So I had a party-for-one that seemed to carry on for many years of my life.”
Liam was brutally honest about his health issues in recent years.
His journey through fame came with its costs as he disclosed that he had suffered from social anxiety and struggled to maintain his mental well-being while under immense pressure.
Despite the joyful moments of his meteoric rise to fame, Liam’s struggles with mental health, addiction, and the weight of his stardom were a constant undercurrent.
He had been working on his sobriety in recent years, candidly discussing his difficult relationship with alcohol.
He admitted that he spent time in a US wellness clinic after he “hit rock bottom”.He also told how a mystery respiratory illness left him floored in 2021.
Liam admitted turning to alcohol and drugs to hide how he struggled to cope with One Direction’s dizzying levels of fame — which would spark panic attacks and high levels of exhaustion.
