Waiter Says He Does Not 'Regret' Night Spent With Liam Payne As He Details Prison Struggles After Arrest

Braian Paiz has spoken out about his ordeal in jail since being accused of supplying drugs to the late pop star, Liam Payne.

The 25-year-old Argentine waiter revealed that even though he has suffered "psychological" damage, he doesn't "regret" meeting the singer.

Braian Paiz's mother also talked about her son's condition, noting his deteriorating health and harsh prison conditions, while calling the Liam Payne case a "miscarriage of justice."

The Daily Mail sat down with Sandra Paiz, mother of Braian Paiz, a 25-year-old waiter held in an Argentine prison accused of supplying drugs to Liam Payne, shortly before he died during a visit to Buenos Aires.

When the publication visited Sandra's small home on the outskirts of the city, she reportedly received an unexpected prison phone call from her son, Braian, which gave the interviewers the opportunity to have a conversation with the alleged drug dealer.

During the call, which was strictly monitored by prison authorities, Braian revealed that he had recently been transferred to a new facility, noting that the previous facility was "terrible."

"We didn't even have running water, and the mattresses were very damp. I had a bad cold and cough for several weeks without medical attention. During winter, we bathed almost the entire time with cold water," Braian said.

During the interview, Braian talked about the toll the case has taken on his life. He admitted that his mental state had suffered as he grappled with the news of Payne's death.

"I couldn't stop overthinking," he said. "I felt terrible. The news of Liam's death hit me hard. But now, I'm focusing a lot on my freedom and on getting out."

When asked if he regretted meeting the pop star, he admitted the experience had left him deeply scarred, but that he cherished his moments with Payne.

"I've suffered so much psychological damage due to all this and the social condemnation, and of course, I'm worried now I might be in prison for many years..." Paiz said, before adding, "But I don't regret meeting Liam. I was a fan."

After the call ended, the waiter's mother reportedly sat silently for a moment. Her relief that her son sounded stronger was seemingly mixed with painful memories of his earlier pleas.

In one of their first conversations after his arrest, Braian had cried down the line, saying, "I can't breathe. Please, Mum, get me out. I can't stand it anymore."

Braian's mother believes her son is being unfairly punished for the role he played in Liam Payne's death.

"He made a mistake," she told the news outlet. "He takes responsibility for it. But just because someone he met died two days later, why should he be condemned like this?"

In the emotional interview, Sandra Paiz also described the torment her family has endured, calling the situation a clear "miscarriage of justice."

Once living comfortably in a larger home nearby, the family's life has unraveled since Braian's arrest in January. Mounting legal costs forced Sandra to sell nearly everything she owned.

"I had to sell everything," she explained. "I had almost finished setting up a little hairdressing salon, but with everything that happened with my son, I had to sell it all."

During the interview, Sandra Paiz recounted the moment she discovered her son had been linked to Liam Payne's death.

It was November 8 last year. She was lying in bed watching television, unaware of who the One Direction star was, when her son's face suddenly appeared on the evening news.

The following day, panic set in as she and her family tried to locate Braian, who had moved to a new apartment in July to be closer to his job in central Buenos Aires.

"We couldn't find him," she said, "My daughter went to look for Braian and she found his apartment. He was locked inside, nervous, listening to music. And he wasn't answering the door to anyone."

Sandra explained that just days earlier, on November 5, nearly three weeks after Payne's fatal fall from a third-floor balcony, Braian had been fired from his job at Las Lilas restaurant, and with no income, he had been warned by his landlord that he would soon face eviction.

"To begin with, he didn't dare tell us what had happened," Sandra said. "He was just waiting in that little apartment to see what would happen, if any notification from the authorities would arrive."

Eventually, on Friday, January 3, after two tense months filled with uncertainty, officers from Argentina's Special Investigations Division arrived at the Paiz family home and arrested Braian on suspicion of supplying drugs to Payne in the early hours of October 14.

"At first, we didn't understand anything," Sandra recalled. "I asked him at the time, and he didn't understand either – he was in shock. My son never tried to flee or anything. He always looked for ways to cooperate with the investigation."

The nine months that followed have been harrowing for the family. Braian was formally charged in February and has since been denied house arrest multiple times, despite reports that he was attacked in prison because of his sexuality and developed a serious urinary tract infection that went untreated for days.