3 arrested and charged after Liam Payne's death in Buenos Aires

According to Argentina's 14th National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office, three people have been arrested in connection with the death of Liam Payne.

“Unlawful behavior was uncovered and three people were charged with the offenses of abandoning a person after death and supplying and arranging narcotics,” said the prosecutor’s statement on Thursday (translated from Spanish).

In addition, authorities conducted nine raids at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel and other implicated locations, according to the press release.

According to NBC News and other local reports, a person who worked closely with the former One Direction singer was charged with abandonment, while two other locals (including at least one hotel worker) were charged with drug abuse.

In Argentina, penalties for distributing small amounts of drugs can include prison sentences of up to several years. It is unclear whether the recruitment fee would significantly change this

Payne died on October 16 after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires. He was 31 years old.

The musician's death in October was initially treated as suspicious, “although everything indicates that he was alone at the time of the fall and was experiencing an outburst due to drug abuse,” prosecutors said.

Payne's preliminary cause of death was listed as “multiple trauma” that caused both “internal and external bleeding.” However, his official autopsy also reportedly found traces of “pink cocaine,” as well as possible methamphetamines, ketamine, MDMA, benzodiazepines and crack cocaine, according to TMZ.

He leaves behind seven-year-old son Bear, who he shared with Girls Aloud member and X Factor judge Cheryl Cole. Payne is also survived by his parents Geoff and Karen Payne and sisters Ruth and Nicola.