Addiction Specialist Weighs In On The Drugs Found In Liam Payne's System

An addiction specialist is weighing in on the drugs found in Liam Payne's system at the time of death, claiming that one of them had a reputation for being lethal.

In the wake of Payne's tragic passing, an initial toxicology report has indicated the presence of cocaine in his system. Additionally, multiple prescription medications and drug paraphernalia were found in the hotel suite where he was staying.

But that's not all, because something called "pink cocaine" was also discovered in Liam Payne's system, which, according to the addiction specialist, is “coming in[to] fashion now."

Payne's partial autopsy revealed that he had "pink cocaine" in his system at the time of his death on October 16, when he fell from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Despite its name, "pink cocaine" typically does not contain actual cocaine; instead, it is a blend of ketamine, MDMA, and methamphetamine.

“All these drugs do nothing but kill people,” addiction specialist Richard Taite told Us Weekly of "pink cocaine," which he said is “coming in[to] fashion now,” and fentanyl.

“They’re not like heroin and cocaine in the past. This is like garbage, all of it," he added. "[It’s] all dangerous today.”

According to an ABC Newsreport released on Monday, Payne also had cocaine, benzodiazepines, and crack in his system.

Taite, the founder and chairman of Carrara Luxury Rehab & Addiction Treatment Center in California, stressed the significant dangers associated with Payne's drug use. He pointed out that “all the drugs” available on the streets today are risky, largely due to the widespread presence of fentanyl and other hazardous substances.

“70 percent of all drugs that you buy in the street have fentanyl in it,” he told Us Weekly. “If you’re not getting pills in a pharmacy, that’s bad. Because it’s not just fentanyl anymore; now it’s pink cocaine, it’s Xylazine, it’s ketamine.”

He then weighed in on speculation if Payne fell or jumped. “For [Payne] to fall out of a window with no defensive markings at all on his body? He died of drug addiction,” he claimed, though an investigation is still underway.

An autopsy did reveal that Payne sustained 25 injuries consistent with a fall from a height, with the cause of death determined as “polytraumatism” along with internal and external hemorrhage, according to the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the Daily Mail, the source shared, "Liam had been clean for weeks. He had been to rehab more than once. He had had treatment in the UK and in California, and he had recently been taken on by a new psychiatrist in Florida. Everyone around Liam hoped that he was on the path to recovery."

"Liam was 100 percent sober. But when he checked in at the hotel, at some point, someone there started giving him drugs," the source said. "Liam had tried really hard to get clean, then they preyed on him. These people only care about money. They didn't care about his health."

According to NBC, it is believed that Payne may have consumed "pink cocaine," a blend of methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA, prior to his untimely death. The report also indicated that crack cocaine and benzodiazepines were among the substances found in his system.

However, the precise quantity of drugs in his body remains uncertain, as full toxicology reports are still underway, with results anticipated within the next three weeks.

Bridget Brennan, the special narcotics prosecutor for New York, informed NBC News in an August interview that pink cocaine consists of a combination of various substances, which is “typical with a lot of the drugs out on the streets.”

The former One Direction band member passed away shortly after a hotel receptionist dialed 911, reporting that a distressed guest, visibly intoxicated with alcohol and drugs, was “breaking the whole room.”

“The guest is in a room that has a balcony, and, well, we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening,” the caller said, according to Telemundo.