One Direction’s Liam Payne had ‘pink cocaine’ in system when he died: reports

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A preliminary toxicology report showed former One Direction bandmember, Liam Payne had cocaine and other substances in his system.

The report was not released officially but an Argentine official, who was not named, released the initial results. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

The official final report is not expected to be released for weeks, The Associated Press reported, but the report that was leaked was given to the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office in Buenos Aires on Monday.

Payne’s injuries were consistent with a fall from three stories, and the prosecutor’s office, which typically investigates sudden or unexpected deaths, said no one else was involved in the singer’s death.

He had “multiple traumas” and “internal and external bleeding” with 25 injuries documented on his body, ABC News reported.

They believe he was either in a state of “semi or total unconsciousness” when he fell from the hotel balcony. Drugs and alcohol were found in the room. Officials believe that he had a substance abuse-induced breakdown when he fell, the AP reported.

ABC News was the first to report that Payne had what is called “pink cocaine” or a mix of several drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA in his system. Despite its name, there is no cocaine in the mixture, and the “pink” comes from food coloring, NBC News reported.

The Drug Enforcement Administration sent a warning about pink cocaine, also known as Tusi or Tuci, last week, saying that it’s a party drug that is cropping up in New York City.

A gram of pink cocaine can cost $20 to $100 and is being sold online and through social media apps, DEA New York Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino told WCBS last week.

“It can put people into a ‘k-hole’ where they feel like they’re in a blank space, like they are disassociated from their body, they’re disassociated from their brain, they don’t know what’s going on,” Bridget Brennan, New York City’s special narcotics prosecutor told WCBS.

He also had cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack the report said. An improvised pipe that was assumed to have been used to ingest the substances was also found.

Photos from the room showed powder on a table, a pack of the antidepressant clonazepam and other over-the-counter medications in Payne’s belongings. A hotel employee had called the city’s emergency number to report an aggressive guest who seemed to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the AP reported.

“We need to send someone with urgency because I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger because he is in a room with balcony, and we are afraid he could do something that threatens life,” ABC News said the employee told the operator.

Officials are trying to find out who gave Payne the suspected drugs. Police in Buenos Aires interviewed three hotel employees and two women who visited the singer a few hours before his death.

No arrests or charges have occurred in relation to Payne’s death, ABC News reported.

Payne’s father is in Argentina to claim his son’s body and return it to England for a funeral. Officials are expected to release Payne’s remains next week, the AP reported.

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