Arrested Waiter's Account Of 'Intimate' Encounters With Liam Payne Raises Eyebrows About Singer’s Death

Braian Nahuel Paiz, a 25-year-old Argentine waiter, remains jailed for allegedly supplying Liam Payne with cocaine two days before the singer's death.

Now, his witness statement has provided a detailed account of his and Payne's "intimate" encounter after they first met at a Buenos Aires restaurant.

Liam Payne's drug dealer's trial remains delayed amid jurisdictional disputes, and he reportedly endures violent, inhumane conditions in custody.

According to court documents and police statements reviewed by authorities, Paiz has shared his version of the events leading up to Liam Payne's tragic death.

The waiter, who remains in custody on charges of supplying the late singer with cocaine, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, maintains that while he did provide the drugs, no money exchanged hands, insisting he is not guilty of trafficking.

In his statement, Paiz recounts the first meeting he had with Payne on October 2 of last year at Cabana Las Lilas, a high-end restaurant in Buenos Aires, where he was working a late shift.

The British pop star, he says, appeared "distracted" and unsteady on his feet, making repeated trips to the restroom.

"We made eye contact almost every time," Paiz recalled, per the Daily Mail, describing his initial encounter with the singer as unexpected and surreal.

As closing time neared, Payne allegedly approached the waiter again and quietly asked if he had "cocaine."

Paiz shared that he mentioned the exchange to his coworkers, who told him the singer had been asking several staff members the same question and appeared to be intoxicated, having ordered an entire bottle of whisky for himself.

Before Payne exited the restaurant, Paiz slipped him a piece of paper with his Instagram handle scrawled on it.

"We made eye contact," the waiter said. "With my right hand, I gave him the paper, and he received it with both hands."

According to Paiz's statement, it didn't take long for Payne to reach out after their initial meeting.

About an hour later, around 1 a.m., the singer messaged him on Instagram using an account named "KateCasss7," which Paiz later learned was a burner profile.

Payne once again asked for drugs, and Paiz declined. What followed, he said, was a "flirty conversation on Instagram."

The conversation moved to iMessage, where Payne shared his hotel address and invited Paiz over.

At the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt, Payne welcomed him into his suite, played unreleased music, and poured drinks.

Paiz recalled that Payne used drugs during their time together and offered him some, though he declined. After an hour, Paiz left, only to find himself blocked the next morning.

Nearly two weeks later, Payne reached out again through another account, this time asking for cocaine and offering $100.

Despite initial hesitation, Paiz agreed, saying he didn't "want to miss the opportunity" to see the singer again.

He bought two grams and met Payne at CasaSur Palermo around 3 a.m., where they drank whisky, talked about music, and shared a private, "intimate" moment, though Paiz insists they did not have sex.

As morning broke, Paiz said their night together came to an end, and he left the hotel to head home.

Not long after, Payne reportedly reached out again, asking him to find more drugs. Wanting to help, Paiz said he placed an order through Telegram, and soon after, Payne showed up at his apartment.

When the delivery arrived, Paiz claimed he grew uneasy about the quality of the drugs and decided against giving them to Payne, fearing they might do more harm than good.

The singer didn't take it well. "He left, angry that I hadn't given him anything. In fact, he looked at me and shook his head, 'No.'"

That, according to Paiz, was the final time he saw Payne, around 9 a.m. on October 14.

The British musician allegedly continued sending messages to Paiz later that day, on October 14, still seeking drugs, but the waiter chose not to reply.

Two days later, tragedy struck. On October 16, Payne was discovered dead after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo hotel.

A toxicology report later confirmed the presence of drugs, such as cocaine, alcohol, and antidepressants, in the late pop star's system.

Months after Payne's death, both Paiz and hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra remain behind bars, each accused of separately supplying the singer with drugs.

Paiz's trial, however, has yet to begin as legal disputes over whether the case falls under federal or local jurisdiction drag on.

The 25-year-old has now spent more than eight months in a cramped Buenos Aires holding facility, where most inmates stay only a few weeks before transfer.

"If you ask me when it will start, it's impossible to know," his lawyer, Juan Pablo Madeo Facente, said, per the Daily Mail. "There are no deadlines. It could take another year."

Facente claims his client has endured violence and abuse in detention, targeted for being gay and denied medical care after contracting a urinary tract infection.

Paiz reportedly relies on antidepressants to cope with the brutal conditions. He has described being scalded with boiling water, struck with canisters, and threatened with electrocution.

"I live with 15 people in a cell, and they treat me like a rat," he confessed earlier this year.