3 arrested in connection with Liam Payne's death

Three people have been arrested in connection with the death of One Direction star Liam Payne in Argentina.

Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office announced the charges Thursday.

Payne died after falling from a hotel balcony on Oct. 16 in Buenos Aires. Toxicology results determined he had several substances in his body, including pink cocaine.

Authorities said one person who was with Payne on a daily basis while he was in Buenos Aires is charged with abandoning a person following death. The second arrest is a hotel employee accused of supplying Payne with cocaine twice while he stayed at the hotel. A third person is also accused of supplying drugs to Payne twice during his stay on Oct. 14.

Payne was a beloved member of One Direction, which formed in 2010 after its members — Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik — auditioned for "The X-Factor" as solo acts and were brought together by judge Simon Cowell. With their loyal fan base of "Directioners" they became one of the most successful boy bands of all time.

Just over a week after his death, a police special investigations unit went to the hotel and seized items including computer hard drives and footage from hotel cameras, a government official told The Associated Press.

What is pink cocaine?

Pink cocaine, also known as "tusi," has been connected to drug seizures and, in some cases, is being trafficked by the notorious Venezuelan migrant gang Tren de Argua , FOX 5 New York reported.

Multiple drug checking studies have found that the majority of tusi samples contain ketamine, often combined with methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, and/or new psychoactive substances, according to the National Library of Science .

The bright-colored powder has been gaining popularity among the nightlife scene in New York City because of its low price and it is even being trafficked and sold in underground venues.

While the mystery powder is pink, narcotics experts tell FOX 5 New York that there is only a small amount (if any) of cocaine in it, and this makes it tough to determine what other drugs or chemicals are inside of it.