Two people have been detained and the home of Liam Payne‘s friend has been raided in connection with the singer’s death. On Wednesday night, multiple local reports confirmed that Buenos Aires police had detained a hotel worker and an alleged drug dealer, and obtained access to the home of an Argentine businessman who spent time with Payne while he was in the country.
The two people detained are being accused of supplying him with the narcotics found in his system in an autopsy after he fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. One of the workers accused is a maintenance employee, while the other person is said to be the drug dealer in this case.
La Nación reports that Payne’s businessman friend, who had presented himself as Payne’s manager, although he was not, was accused of abandonment of a person, which carries a possible sentence of three to six years behind bars. His accusation does not require detainment.
Several outlets also report that the friend had failed to tell Payne’s family that he was having issues with drugs. According to La Nación, investigators tried calling the friend on the day of his death, but he never showed up. The following day, he spoke to police through an attorney.
Authorities have raided nine locations, eight related to the three people who’ve received the criminal accusations. The ninth raided location was the room of one of the women said to have been with Payne hours before his death. Police seized nine cell phones, three computers, two hard drives, and a jar of marijuana, per the outlet.
The new investigation updates come as Payne’s body was transferred to Great Britain on a British Airways flight for funeral services.
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According to a post-autopsy report last month, the former One Direction member died of multiple traumas, internal and external bleeding, and a cranial injury as a result of his fall. Early investigations also indicated the presence of narcotics in his hotel room.
CasaSur Palermo Hotel was raided for the first time late last month with authorities taking in videos and documentation for its investigation. “We are heartbroken,” Payne’s family said in a statement last month. “Liam will forever live in our hearts, and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
