One of the defendants in the case of One Direction lead singer's death detained in Argentina

Argentine law enforcement authorities have detained waiter Brian Pais, accused of selling drugs to One Direction ex-member Liam Payne, who died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in October last year. This was reported on January 3 by the online portal Infobae.

"The former waiter was detained at his home in Berazategui on January 3 by officers of the Special Investigation Unit of the Metropolitan Police," the publication said.

It is specified that Judge Laura Graciela Bruñar placed him in preventive detention and gave him 24 hours to surrender. The 24-year-old man, who is accused of supplying drugs, is also subject to a $5 million embargo. According to the online portal, the other target, who is also subject to a $5 million embargo, is expected to be detained in the next few hours.

Ex One Direction lead singer Liam Payne died at the age of 31 in Buenos Aires on October 16, 2024. The ambulance arrived at the hotel, from the balcony from which the singer fell out, seven minutes after the call, but doctors were unable to save the artist. It was noted that before the incident, police were informed of an "aggressive male" who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

On the same day, the Marca tabloid reported that police found a broken TV and some kind of powdery substance in Payne's room. In the bathroom, there were candle burns and traces of soot. It was also revealed that the singer had suffered a fracture to the base of his skull in the fall and could not be saved. The prosecutor's office later pointed to Payne's unconscious state at the time of the fall.

On December 30, 2024, it was reported that a court in Argentina accused five people of involvement in Payne's death: Rogelio Nores, the victim's representative who also accompanied Payne on a trip to Buenos Aires to reapply for a U.S. visa, CasaSur Hotel manager Gilda Martin and hotel front desk manager Esteban Reynaldo Grassi were charged with manslaughter, and a waiter whom Payne met in the Puerto Madero neighborhood, Brian Pais, and an employee of the hotel where the musician was staying, Eskel Pereira, were prosecuted for selling drugs to the artist.