Waiter accused of selling Liam Payne drugs arrested after judge order

The waiter accused of selling Liam Payne cocaine before he plunged to his death at a Buenos Aires hotel has been arrested.

A judge had ordered Braian Nahuel Paiz’s remand in prison after charging him with supplying the singer with drugs a week ago.

Laura Bruniard had given him 24 hours to hand himself in so he could be sent to jail but the arrest didn’t take place until today after police went to his home at Ingeniero Budge on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Mr Paiz’s lawyer Fernando Madeo confirmed this afternoon his client had been arrested but didn’t give any more details about what prison he would be taken to or when.

Earlier today it emerged Mr Madeo was claiming it was “impossible” the charges against his client would stick following Liam’s third-floor fatal plunge at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16.

He also insisted the 24-year-old was the victim of a “witch hunt” sparked by the authorities’ desire for culprits. Claiming the same problems often appeared in other headline cases which sparked national and international interest, he said: “They want to look for culprits at any price, violating constitutional rights and guarantees and forming a ’truth’ which turns out to false as is the case here, accusing innocent people of crimes they haven’t committed.”

Mr Madeo added: “We presented a very long statement in which we addressed all the issues and the false accusations against Braian and we have explained everything from his point of view.”

His client was one of five men charged by a Buenos Aires judge last Friday following the famous singer's death on October 16 at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.

Paiz and Ezequiel David Pereyra, 21, who is currently suspended from his job at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, have been charged with supplying Liam with drugs in exchange for money.

The pair have been warned they could face between four and 15 years if convicted as charged.