Liam Payne’s alleged supplier claims he ‘never’ gave the singer drugs

Liam Payne at the premiere of I Am Bolt on November 28, 2016 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images
A man accused of supplying drugs to Liam Payne before his death has insisted he “never” gave narcotics to the late singer.
The former One Direction member died on October 16 after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina, with a partial autopsy finding traces of pink cocaine – a mixture of methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA – in his system, as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack.
Local police last week arrested three people in connection to the death of the Strip That Down hitmaker.
One of the men, waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz, has now admitted to taking drugs with the star, but denied being the supplier – claiming Payne, 31, was already under the influence when they met for the first time at his workplace on October 2.
Speaking on Argentina’s Telefe Noticias TV show, Paiz alleged: “I never supplied Liam with drugs.
“Liam’s first contact with me was at my place of work.
“We swapped details and saw each other later that night. It was all normal. He came down from his hotel room to fetch me because I had got lost. We got together there and he showed me some of the music he was going to bring out.
“I’ve heard people saying he was taking drugs but the truth is that when he got to the restaurant where I was working, he was already under the effects of drugs and he didn’t actually eat anything.
“There was a moment when he approached me and asked me for my contact details. I gave him an Instagram and afterwards he sent me messages because he wanted to take drugs although he had already consumed narcotics. It was October 2. While I was in his room we had some whisky shots.”
The 24-year-old returned to the CasaSur Palermo Hotel to meet with Payne again on October 13, where he admitted they “took drugs together” before the singer offered Paiz his clothes as a souvenir.
“We spent the night together, we consumed drugs because the truth is that something intimate happened,” Paiz claimed.
“He wasn’t aggressive at all, he behaved really well with me, he was really sweet. He asked me if I was okay. I’ve got all the messages where we arranged that second meeting. I haven’t erased anything.
“We took drugs together but I never took drugs to him or accepted any money. I have messages where he’s offering me money because he was apparently used to offering money for everything, but I never accepted anything.
“When I left he wanted to give me some clothes so that I had a memory of being with him but I left it behind the TV because I didn’t want to take it. It was some grey jogging bottoms and a T-shirt.”
Paiz then alleged he and Payne organised a meeting with a friend of his.
“I told Liam a best friend of mine wanted to meet him because he was a fan,” he said on the news show. “He said ‘yes’.
“After I went, he appeared outside the place where I lived and managed to get halfway into the building and wanted us to go back to his hotel, but I told him I couldn’t because I had to go to work. I was due to start at 11.30am but I had to arrive beforehand.
“That was the last time I saw him. He got into his taxi and left.”
The three people arrested in connection to Payne’s death have been charged with the abandonment of a person followed by death and the supply and facilitation of narcotics, Argentine prosecutors said on Thursday.
The prosecutor’s office also confirmed Payne had consumed cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant before his fatal fall.
Local authorities are continuing to investigate Payne’s broken laptop and other devices seized, BBC reports.
His body has now been returned to the UK and released to his family ahead of his funeral.
“Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” Payne’s family said in a statement.
“We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
– Additional reporting by NZ Herald