Drugs & Alcohol

Several people connected to Liam Payne's death are facing formal charges in Argentina ... according to local reports in the Latin American country.

Infobae -- an Argentinian online newspaper -- revealed Saturday that sources with direct knowledge of the case confirmed five people have been charged by a judge.

Among them ... Liam's friend Roger Nores -- who says he left Liam at the CasaSur Palermo hotel about an hour before he fell to his death -- who authorities have charged with negligent homicide.

Liam Payne's drug use had him "close to death" on multiple occasions ... long before his fatal fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina ... at least according to his friend, Roger Nores.

In new legal documents from Argentina, obtained by TMZ, Nores recalls Liam's drug issues ... claiming the late One Direction singer had to be revived two times in as many years.

Nores is charged with abandoning Liam before his fatal fall back in October, and he's defending himself against criminal charges here ... by talking about Liam's drug habit.

Diddy's alleged mule, Brendan Paul, is off the hook in his felony drug case in Florida ... because all the charges have been dropped, TMZ has confirmed.

State prosecutors officially dismissed the charges against Paul Tuesday because he completed a pretrial diversion program ... according to his attorney, Brian Bieber.

Meanwhile, federal sources tell TMZ ... Paul did NOT strike a deal with federal prosecutors in the Diddy case.

Liam Payne's fatal fall was witnessed by a hotel guest who was at the CasaSur Palermo in Buenos Aires for his wedding, and he is haunted by what he saw.

Bret Watson was in a room on the first floor of the hotel with his wedding planner, and as they looked out the window they saw Liam in free fall. Bret appears in our new documentary, "TMZ Presents: Liam Payne: Who's to Blame?" airing on FOX tonight at 8 PM ET and streaming on Hulu beginning Tuesday.

Bret and the wedding planner ran to the balcony and looked down ... and immediately identified Liam, who he believes died instantly.

Bret says the sound of Liam's body hitting the ground was even more haunting than the fall itself, and it's apparent from the interview he's still having pretty severe emotional difficulty.

A waiter prosecutors want to charge in connection with Liam Payne's death admits he used cocaine with the singer ... but insists he didn’t get paid and is NOT a drug dealer.

Braian Paiz told us in our upcoming documentary "TMZ Investigates: Liam Payne: Who's to Blame?" -- airing Monday night at 8 PM ET on FOX — he partied with Liam in the singer’s Buenos Aires Hotel room.

Paiz says they drank whiskey and used the cocaine he brought to the hotel. He says they did it on 2 occasions … the second just 2 days before Liam’s fatal fall from the hotel balcony.

Liam Payne's close friend, now in the crosshairs of Argentinian authorities -- insists when he left the singer at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel an hour before his death, he seemed fine ... But authorities and eyewitnesses say that's anything but true.

Roger Nores appears in our new documentary, "TMZ Investigates: Liam Payne: Who's to Blame?" -- which airs Monday night at 8 PM ET on FOX -- says he was with Liam on and off the day he fell from the hotel balcony to his death.

Nores says, he checked on Liam three times during the day, and when he left an hour before the fatal fall Liam seemed happy and fine, although a little tipsy.

T.I. is suing Sabrina Peterson for defamation over 3 years after she sued the rapper and made damning allegations about him ... including a claim he once held a gun to her head.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... T.I. claims he and his family ended their friendship with Sabrina, saying she wasn't a "positive" influence to be around.

The rapper alleges Sabrina felt spurned by this decision and, in turn, became obsessed with him and his family ... prompting SP to harass and threaten them by posting "false" and "baseless" accusations about them on social media.

Authorities are reportedly weighing charges against two more people in connection with Liam Payne’s death investigation, according to new legal documents.

Law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ a judge is considering charges in a new filing Monday against two employees at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, where Liam fell to his death from his third-floor balcony.

The judge referred to both the receptionist who called 911 twice the morning Liam died and the hotel manager as "imputados" or "people charged."

Kate Upton had her fans concerned last month after posting a worrisome scenario to her Instagram ... but the SI Swimsuit legend is now clarifying the details of the note, saying it had nothing to do with her husband, MLB star Justin Verlander.

As we previously reported, Upton asked her followers about a situation involving a 10-year-old girl traveling with her intoxicated dad ... the father threatens a taxi driver with a gun "if he does not drop them off on the highway at midnight to walk home."

Upton then speculated whether the described scene was an emergency or crime and how "lawyers/judges/advocates/law enforcement/parents" would feel about the matter... but did not explain what exactly was going on until Monday.

Liam Payne's good friend, who Buenos Aires authorities are going after for allegedly abandoning the late singer during a bender, says he's not the one at fault here ... instead pointing the finger at the hotel where Liam was staying.

Roger Nores' legal team filed new documents, obtained by TMZ, in Argentina and he basically makes the argument that he's not the one who should be investigated ... claiming the CasaSur Palermo Hotel played a big role in Liam's death.

In the docs, Roger says the hotel did NOT have a 24-hour doctor available ... even though he says they're required to have one under the law.

Jay-Z's cannabis brand Monogram isn't affiliated with The Parent Company. This money-bleeding weed hub was recently discovered to have blown through $575 million in cash ... and hasn't been linked for a couple of years!!!

A source tells TMZ Hip Hop, "Jay-Z stepped away years ago and it just went up in a mess” ... with an official separation timeline of December 2022 and is currently owned by another LLC.

Jay and Monogram launched an aggressive campaign beginning in 2020, promising a premium cannabis experience ... but still were accused of selling overpriced mid in the market.

Liam Payne's good friend who Buenos Aires authorities want to prosecute for "abandonment" knew Liam had fallen off the wagon but still left him alone ... so claim prosecutors in an official document obtained by TMZ.

Roger Nores had been extremely close to Liam in the last months of his life. The 2 traveled to Argentina together, but Liam stayed in the CasaSur Hotel alone and Roger stayed elsewhere.

According to the docs, Liam's dad was interviewed by authorities and said in May 2024, Roger volunteered to take over Liam's care and arrange to put him in rehab. The docs say Liam's father said it was critical that Liam always stayed busy and was never alone.

Liam Payne was trying to escape from his hotel when he fell to his death, and the hotel knew he was threatening to use the balcony as the means to escape, but left him by himself ... this according to witnesses, the police report, a 911 call and surveillance video.

Here's what we know. Liam hated being locked up in hotel rooms ... something he had to deal with during his time in One Direction. He had used the balcony escape plan before, most recently in mid-September, when sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Liam's bodyguard was concerned he might have been on a drug binge and forced him inside a room in a Florida rental house. Liam escaped from a balcony, using a garden hose to reach the ground.

Look at the surveillance screenshots from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. Liam, who was disruptive in the lobby and clearly under the influence, is splayed out as 3 hotel workers carry him to his room, minutes before he fell to his death. Liam is clearly conscious -- although we blurred his face, he is holding his head upright.

Saquon Barkley was unstoppable in the Philadelphia Eagles' "Sunday Night Football" win over the Rams -- which could only mean one thing -- a drug test from the league!!!

But, except for one thing ... it was just a prank his teammates pulled on their star running back!

Barkley found the fake note in his locker following the Eagles' 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium -- where SB rushed for 255 rushing yards, a career-high for him, and the ninth most ever in an NFL game.

"That's not me," Barkley laughed, revealing tight end Dallas Goedert put the notice on his locker as a joke.

Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne left the crowd at his concert a mess ... sharing a powerful message to his deceased One Direction bandmate -- and, the sobs were audible.

The singer-songwriter took the stage in Leeds, England Saturday ... his first show since Liam passed away after falling from his balcony at a hotel in Argentina in mid-October.

While most of the show seems to have been a pretty standard Zayn concert, it ended with a huge blue screen adorned with Liam's name, year of birth and death, followed by "Love You Bro" and a red heart emoji.

One of the three men charged with selling the drugs that killed rapper Mac Miller has been released from federal prison, TMZ has learned.

According to a rep for the Bureau of Prisons ... Cameron James Pettit was sprung from the Federal Correctional Institution Mendota, California, on October 11 after he was arrested in 2019 and charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances resulting in death. His two co-defendants, Stephen Walter, and Ryan Reavis, were also busted and indicted on the same federal charges.

Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Walter and Reavis each copped to one count of distribution of fentanyl and were sentenced to around 17 years and 11 years behind bars, respectively.