Waiter charged with supplying drugs to Liam Payne before his death arrested in Argentina

4 January 2025, 08:10

A waiter accused of supplying drugs to Liam Payne before his death has been arrested, according to reports in Argentina.

Braian Paiz, 24, alongside four others, was charged in connection with the One Direction star’s death on Monday.

The former One Direction singer died in October after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.

A judge ordered Paiz to be remanded in prison after he was charged with supplying the One Direction star with cocaine a week ago.

The judge, Laura Bruniard, gave Paiz 24 hours to hand himself in after making the order.

But the arrest didn’t happen until today, when authorities found him at his home in Ingeniero Budge, a suburb of Buenos Aires.

Paiz is one of five people charged in connection with Payne’s death at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on October 16.

Read more: Liam Payne's final hours revealed as five people charged for hotel plunge death

Paiz and hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra, 21, are accused of selling Payne cocaine on two occasions.

If convicted, they have been told they could face between four and 15 years in prison.

Both men deny the allegations, with Paiz admitting to taking drugs with Payne but insisting he did not sell them.

Paiz’s lawyer Fernando Madeo has confirmed his client had been arrested but hasn’t given any more details about what prison he would be taken to or when.

Mr Madeo has earlier claimed that Braian Paiz has been the victim of a “witch hunt” as officials desperately try to find culprits in the case of the famous singer’s death.

He said: “They want to look for culprits at any price, violating constitutional rights and guarantees and forming a ’truth’ which turns out to be false as is the case here, accusing innocent people of crimes they haven’t committed.”

Speaking to the Argentine TV station America TV, Mr Madeo said his client had arranged to meet up with Liam after meeting him and striking up a conversation at the Buenos Aires restaurant where he worked.

According to Mr Madeo, Paiz was a "lifelong fan of One Direction" so wanted to spend time with the singer.

Mr Madeo continued: “He was fond of Liam and liked him.

"He took advantage of the meeting he had with him in the restaurant where he worked and they exchanged messages."

Paiz continues to deny selling Liam drugs, and Mr Madeo said any suggestion that he did is "absurd".