AceShowbiz - Liam Payne was reportedly "clean" before he passed away in a Buenos Aires hotel on October 16. Although toxicology results found several drugs in his system at the time he died, he was believed to have had steered away from illegal substances prior to his trip to Argentina.

According to a new report by Daily Mail, investigators believe that the former One Direction member was "preyed upon" by hotel staff who supplied the drugs just 24 hours after he was given the all-clear on a drug test. He was allegedly targeted by drug dealers who delivered them to his hotel room.

A close friend of the star revealed, "Liam had been clean for weeks. He had been to rehab more than once. He had had treatment in the U.K. and in California." The British singer, who had entered Argentina on September 30 to renew his American visa, reportedly passed a drug test as part of the requirements to renew his visa.

The source said, "The embassy said Liam needed to do a strict investigation including X-rays and a blood test to search for traces of drugs. When he checked in at the hotel, at some point someone there started giving him drugs."

"Liam had tried really hard to get clean, then he's been preyed upon," the source went on claiming. "These people just care about money - they don't care about putting people's lives in danger. It's an evil trade. This is all just tragic."

Amid the ongoing investigation, cops are probing two hotel staff in connection with the deals including a cleaner at the CasaSur boutique hotel in Buenos Aires. The source alleged hotel workers had started selling Liam drugs at some point in the time he checked in at 11 P.M.

They said they did not know what drugs Liam was buying or how much he had spent on them. While police investigation is still ongoing, multiple staff member were reportedly on the brink of being fired over allegedly supplying drugs to Liam.

The drugs found in the star's hotel room were sourced in a poverty-stricken neighborhood 15 miles away. An address in the city of Lomas de Zamora is said to match up with a man suspected of being involved in supplying the substance.

Liam died on October 16 at just 31 years old after falling from his third-floor hotel balcony. The preliminary autopsy report by the Argentinian Public Prosecutor's Office concluded that his death was due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding, with severe head injuries being particularly fatal. He's suspected of unconscious when plunging to his death.

Subsequent toxicology reports reveal that the "Strip That Down" crooner had multiple drugs in his system at the time of his death, including "pink cocaine," crack and benzodiazepine. Pink cocaine, also known as Tusi, is a dangerous cocktail combining methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA. An aluminum pipe used to ingest these substances was discovered in his chaotic hotel room, which bore signs of destruction and extreme distress.

Corroborating the friend's claims, A.J. McLean who recently worked with Liam on an upcoming TV show, "Building the Band", said he didn't see addiction signs in the younger singer. The Backstreet Boys member remembered Liam as a "light" and praised him as "very funny" and a "sweetheart."

Highlighting their similarities over their sobriety journeys, the 46-year-old added, "Addiction is a real thing. Fortunately I came out the other end, but I'm one of few."