Liam Payne’s alleged drug dealer will remain behind bars

Braian Nahuel Paiz, who is one of five men charged following Liam Payne’s death, has insisted he did not sell drugs to the One Direction star before his death

Liam Payne’s alleged drug dealer is set to remain in prison ahead of the trial after he was arrested in connection to the singer’s death.

Braian Nahuel Paiz is one of five men charged following Liam’s death. The One Direction star sadly died aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October. Paiz has been accused of selling drugs to Liam in exchange for money.

He has denied all allegations against him. A court has now ruled Paiz should remain under preventive detention in a cell of the City Police after he was denied a new request for release.

The decision was made by Chamber B of the Criminal and Correctional Court of Buenos Aires on Wednesday. Chamber B is made up of judges Ricardo Pinto and Hernán López, who are also part of Chamber IV which is analyzing the appeals of the case.

Braian Nahuel Paiz has insisted he is innocent ( Image: Collect)

The ruling, which was obtained by reputable Argentinian news outlet Infobae, stated, “It should be noted that the time he has been in detention (since January 3) is not disproportionate to the state of the proceedings in which a ruling has already been issued, nor to the amount and manner of fulfillment of the eventual sanction that may be imposed in this case.”

The judges also noted Paiz only gave his cell phone over to officials after judge Laura Bruniard originally granted him exemption from prison in November. Paiz and the other four defendants are set to next appear in court on February 10.

The hearing will see the judges decide the appeal of their indictments. Paiz has consistently denied the allegations against him.

His attorney disclosed that although Paiz has a history with drugs, he adamantly denies any allegations of money ever changing hands with Liam. Fernando Madeo stated, “Braian made a very extensive statement and gave all the facts.”

Liam Payne died in October ( Image: Getty Images)

He further specified during an interview with Argentinian news outlet Todo Noticias, “Among them, he stated that he met Liam on two occasions. Among several issues, which they did in a private environment, they also consumed narcotics but it is not true that he sold him drugs.”

Madeo added, “What we said in the disclaimer is that Braian is a person who is a frequent drug user.” Clarifying that Paiz’s interaction with the substance was personal, Madeo stated, “A while back, he used to use more. He had drugs in his house for his own use, he met Liam and they both used. It’s not that one took drugs to the other, they both just shared what they had.”

The lawyer also shed light on the nature of the relationship between the two individuals, “They had very wide-ranging chat conversations. It seemed like the only thing that brought them together was this, but it wasn’t. They were two people who happened to meet each other. In fact, Liam was the one who sought out my client.”

Liam’s encounter with Paiz at a restaurant in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, was confirmed by Madeo, who said, “Liam went to talk to him and they started a brief dialogue. They exchanged Instagrams. Braian was a lifelong One Direction fan and tried to talk to him to get to know him. He wasn’t the dealer. You wouldn’t talk for so many hours in a private setting if you were. My client had drugs for personal use, they got together once and got high together. When he went to the hotel where Liam was, he already had drugs.”