Two men accused of supplying Liam Payne with cocaine remain imprisoned in Argentina one year after his fatal balcony fall, as authorities continue to sift through hundreds of hours of evidence from the singer’s final days
One year after Liam Payne’s tragic death in Buenos Aires, two men accused of supplying the former One Direction singer with cocaine remain behind bars as Argentina’s complex investigation continues with no sign of a trial.
The 31-year-old British star died on October 16, 2024, after falling from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel, shortly after 5pm local time. Emergency services rushed to the scene, but Liam was pronounced dead at the hotel. A post-mortem later ruled the cause of death as “polytrauma”, meaning multiple traumatic injuries to the body.
Payne had been in Argentina for a short holiday with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, 26, as the couple attended Niall Horan’s concert in Buenos Aires before spending several days in the city. Kate returned to the US three days before his death, while Payne chose to extend his stay alone.
In the hours before he died, Payne was seen on hotel CCTV speaking to staff and visitors. Witnesses said he appeared “calm” but had been drinking. According to local reports, Payne hired two women to his room earlier that day and was later seen leaning over the balcony moments before falling.
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Toxicology results later revealed traces of cocaine, alcohol and prescription antidepressants in his system at the time of his death.
Two men, waiter Braian Paiz, 25, and hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra, 22, were arrested in connection with the case and later charged with selling cocaine to the singer in the days leading up to his death. Both men deny the charges but have been in custody since January. If they are convicted, they could face up to 15 years in prison.
The pair were formally accused in June, with prosecutors alleging they supplied Payne with drugs at least twice in the fortnight before his death. CCTV footage is said to show Payne asking Pereyra for “seven grams more” during a brief lift exchange at the hotel on the day he died.
Pereyra is being held in Marcos Paz Prison, a high-security facility outside Buenos Aires that houses several of Argentina’s most dangerous offenders, including convicted drug traffickers.
Meanwhile, Paiz remains in a city police cell but is expected to be transferred to federal custody before the trial begins.
Both men claim they are being scapegoated for the singer’s death last October. Speaking from his cell, Paiz said: “I’m just a working lad who crossed paths with a star. Today I’m paying for that coincidence with my freedom. I wish he hadn’t died and things were different.”
He has previously said he met Payne while working at a restaurant in Puerto Madero, where the pop star dined days before his death.
“He asked for my Instagram in front of his girlfriend,” Paiz told Gente magazine. “We spoke on a private account. There was intimacy, but not sexual intimacy.”
His lawyer, Juan Pablo Madeo Facente, maintains Paiz did not profit from giving drugs to Payne, saying: “He is totally convinced of his innocence. He should not be held responsible to this extent.”
Despite the pair being charged, the case remains stalled. Investigators are still reviewing 800 hours of CCTV footage, Payne’s laptop, and the mobile phones of several people linked to the case.
One suspect’s phone, reportedly used to message Payne before his death, was not searched until March despite being seized the previous November.
A legal source told The Sun: “The process is painfully slow. The likelihood of a trial seems a long way off, and there’s real frustration about how long it’s taking to complete the evidence review.”
Payne’s family, including his former partner Cheryl Tweedy, mother to their son Bear, 8, are being kept informed of developments and are said to be hopeful the two suspects will eventually face trial.
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