Liam Payne death investigation sees police 'raid homes of friend and hotel workers'

Police in Argentina investigating the death of Liam Payne have reportedly conducted another round of raids on the homes of two hotel workers and an individual understood to be a 'friend' of the singer.

According to TMZ, law enforcement sources in Buenos Aires told the outlet that the raids were conducted on Tuesday night. It adds that officers also searched the hotel lockers of the workers and reviewed security footage from the hotel CasaSur Palermo.

The outlet reports that it's been told police believe the unidentified workers had contact with One Direction member Liam before he fell to his death from the balcony of his third-floor room on October 16. It claims one of the singer's 'friends' had been identified due to text messages. It's reportedly being looked into who was involved in allegedly getting the singer drugs.

It's understood the 'friend' officers were looking to speak with wasn't present during the raid, The Mirror has reported.

It's the second round of raids, with the hotel being raided last month. According to the publication's sources, electronic and paper records and videos of the hotel's underground area were seized in the first raids.

A post-mortem examination following Liam's death determined the cause of death was from the head injuries sustained during his fall. According to Argentine outlets, he had traces of cocaine in his body at the time of his death.

Respected news portal Infobae said materials extracted from the singer's body in an autopsy following his death had "determined the presence of the Class A drug."

The news comes of the latest raids comes as Liam's dad remains in Argentina. Earlier this week he observed the floral tributes left by heartbroken fans following his son's death. Geoff stood alongside fans of the One Direction singer outside of the hotel in the Argentine capital. He was seen clutching a red rose and he later placed it on the shrine. The dad-of-three was also seen hugging two fans who handed him a lit candle. He went on to place this at the foot of the tree surrounding the floral tributes.

It's believed Liam's body will be returned to the UK later this week as his family prepares for his funeral. Sources suggest Liam's life is set to be celebrated in a lavish ceremony in the coming days with the star set to have a "very big send off".

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a source claimed: "Liam will have a very big send off, quite probably at a large cathedral somewhere close to his heart. Liam was so loved by so many people, there will obviously be enormous demand and so the service will necessarily be a huge affair. The details are still under wraps until they are definitively signed off but should be announced very soon."