Liam Payne was ‘preyed on’ by dealers: Singer had been clean ‘for weeks’ and was winning battle against his demons in US before he was given drugs at Buenos Aires hotel, close friend says

Liam Payne was drug free and won the battle against his demons while living in the US but was dragged back into despair by drug dealers who waylaid him in a Buenos Aires hotel, a close friend has revealed.

The 31-year-old former One Direction singer had struggled with poor mental health for years and had sought treatment for his excessive alcohol and drug use.

But Payne had recently gotten clean and was hired by a new psychiatrist in Miami, where he hoped to start a new life with girlfriend Kate Cassidy.

However, his recovery was disrupted during his fateful trip to Argentina to renew his US visa, when he was targeted by drug dealers who delivered them to his hotel room.

A close friend of the star revealed: ‘Liam had been clean for weeks. He had to undergo rehabilitation more than once. He had undergone treatment in Britain and California.

Fans commemorated Liam Payne at the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens in London on Sunday

“And he had recently been hired by a new psychiatrist in Florida. Everyone around Liam hoped he was on the road to recovery.

‘He went to Argentina to renew his US visa, where he had to undergo a medical examination due to his history with alcohol and drugs.

‘The results of the tests were good. Liam was 100 percent sober. But at some point when he checked into the hotel, someone started giving him drugs.

‘Liam had tried really hard to get clean, but then they attacked him. These people only care about money. They didn’t care about his health.’

Staff at the Casa Sur Hotel, where Payne died, are being investigated on suspicion of supplying drugs to the star in the days leading up to the tragedy.

The men are accused of smuggling various narcotics into the singer’s suite at the boutique hotel in the chic Palermo district.

Fans gather at a tribute to Payne at Cathedral Gardens in Manchester on Sunday evening

A singer performs on Sunday as Payne’s fans gather to pay tribute at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris

A cleaner and another staff member are said to have hidden the drugs in a Dove soapbox that detectives found in Payne’s room after his death.

White powder, trace amounts of chemical crystals, prescription tablets and other drug paraphernalia were discovered in the third-floor suite.

Police have sent the chemicals – believed to be cocaine and crack cocaine – for analysis.

Detectives are also investigating why a taxi was booked in Payne’s name to go to a poverty-stricken neighborhood 15 miles away.

The address in the town of Lomas de Zamora is said to correspond to a man suspected of being involved in supplying the substance, sources said.

The confidant explained, “There were two guys at the hotel who gave Liam medicine. They sent taxis to pick up packages for him.

Fans watch as emergency services work at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16

‘One of the boys worked in the cleaning department. After Liam died, they noticed that a taxi had been sent to the cleaner’s home address.

‘The hotel manager asked him why the taxi had gone to his house and when he could not provide an explanation he was fired.

‘The cleaner and another staff member were interviewed by the police.’

The friend added: ‘Liam did everything he could to stay clean but as soon as he got to the hotel these people offered him alcohol and drugs.’

Payne died after falling from the balcony of his third-floor suite at the hotel last Wednesday afternoon.

The father-of-one died from multiple injuries, a post-mortem revealed.

Forensic teams arrive at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16 to investigate

But Argentina’s National Prosecution Service currently considers his death “inconclusive” as they await the results of toxicology tests.

Lead investigator, prosecutor Marcelo Roma, is investigating what role his consumption of illegal drugs and prescription medications played in his death.

The results of these tests are expected to take between ten and fifteen days.

Payne’s father Geoff Payne arrived in the Argentine capital late last week to formally identify his son’s body and arrange for its repatriation to Britain once it is released by authorities.

The singer’s funeral is expected to take place in November.