Police are planning to investigate who supplied Liam Payne with the drugs being linked to his death if tests confirm narcotics were found in his room.
Photos purporting to show the inside of the deluxe suite the former One Direction singer had checked into earlier this week were published overnight by Argentinian media.
Heavyweight respected news outlets including La Nacion and Clarin confirmed the photos, showing traces of a white powder believed to be cocaine and burnt aluminium foil as well as a smashed TV, were taken inside the 31-year-old Brit’s room at the upmarket Hotel CasaSur Palermo.
La Nacion reported, following the emergence of a 999 call from a hotel manager telling the operator a guest was “off his head on drink and drugs”: “The images reinforce the theories around the consumption of drugs and alcohol.”
It suggested the damage to the TV screen had been caused by a blow from a heavy object or someone’s fist. A half-drunk glass of what appeared to be champagne and another empty glass beside it had been left next to the broken television.
A Dove soap packet, an empty glass, pieces of aluminium foil, the remains of a burnt candle and the burnt top of a drinks can were also clearly visible in the photo on top of a desk in the room along with traces of a white powder authorities will test to confirm suspicions it could be cocaine.
La Nacion reported remains of wax and a piece of scrunched-up burnt aluminium foil were also found in the bathroom. It said police would be investigating who supplied Liam with any banned substances proven to have been in his room.
Clarin said on its website in a news report alongside the photos it published: “Damage and drugs in the hotel room Liam Payne was staying in in Buenos Aires.”
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