Man who sold Michael K. Williams drugs before he died pleads guilty
The man who sold Michael K. Williams drugs before he died has finally pleaded guilty to his crimes.
Williams, who was best known for his starring role in the hit HBO drama The Wire, died of accidental drug overdose back in September 2021.
A drug dealer sold Williams fentanyl-laced heroin, which ended up being the dose that took the 54-year-old's life.
The New York Chief Medical Examiner confirmed Williams' cause of death was due to an overdose of a combination of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and p-fluorofentanyl.
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Authorities added that the death was accidental, revealing that the star was found totally unconscious and unresponsive by his nephew at his New York home 6 September, 2021.
Prosecutors said that only a day prior to his passing (5 September), the actor had purchased the heroin laced with fentanyl from a man in a 'hand-to-hand transaction'.
The Brooklyn dealer who dealt Williams that fatal mix of substances has now pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and fentanyl analog.
Irvin Cartagena, 39, was a member of a Drug Trafficking Organisation (DTO) which mainly operated in Williamsburg between August 2020 to February 2022, prosecutors say.
Cartagena, also known as 'Green Eyes', was first charged with a narcotics conspiracy alongside Hector Robles, 57, Luis Cruz, 56, and Carlos Macci, 70 back in 2022.
"Irvin Cartagena sold fentanyl-laced heroin in broad daylight in New York City, feeding addiction and causing tragedy," US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
The attorney continued: "In doing so, he dealt the fatal dose that killed Michael K. Williams.
"This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable the dealers who push this poison, exploit addiction, and cause senseless death in our community."
Officials also confirmed that the group of Brooklyn-based dealers carried on selling their fatal product even after finding out that it killed Williams.
"Despite knowing that Williams died after being sold the DTO's product, Cartagena and his co-conspirators continued to sell fentanyl-laced heroin in broad daylight amidst residential apartment buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan," prosecutors added.
After pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday (5 April), Cartagena now faces a sentence of anywhere between five to 40 years in prison.
The official statement reads: "Cartagena, 39, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
"As part of his guilty plea, Cartagena stipulated that the substances he conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute resulted in the death of Michael K. Williams."
Rhiannon Ingle