Four people have been arrested in connection to the death of actor Michael K. Williams, who overdosed last September on fentanyl-laced heroin inside his New York City Apartment.
Manhattan federal prosecutors announced the arrests on Wednesday, naming Irvin Cartagena, 39, of Brooklyn, as the man who allegedly sold the drugs to Williams, 54. Cartagena was arrested in Puerto Rico.
Three alleged co-conspirators, Hector Robles, 57, Luis Cruz, 56, and Carlos Macci, 70, all from Brooklyn, were also arrested on Tuesday in New York.
New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell said she detectives have been working hard on the case since September in order to help bring justice to Williams, made famous for his iconic role on ‘The Wire,’ and his family.
‘As these federal charges show, the NYPD’s narcotics and precinct detectives in Brooklyn North lived this case, never relenting in their investigation until they could bring a measure of justice to Michael K. Williams and his family,’ Sewell said.
Four people have been arrested in connection to the death of actor Michael K. Williams
Officials said the four men were part of a drug trafficking organizations since August 2020, operating in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Their ring primarily focused on fentanyl and heroin-laced fentanyl as they sold the drugs inside an apartment, where Cartagena, known as ‘Green Eyes,’ met up with Williams on September 5, 2021, to allegedly sell him the drugs.
Video surveillance had captured the moment Cartagena handed off the drugs to Williams that day.
The actor was found the following day by his nephew unconscious and facedown in his living room inside his Williamsburg apartment. He was declared dead by medics who rushed to the scene.
All four men were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 40 years.
Cartagena was also charged with causing the death of Williams, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said he was proud of the arrests made and echoed the importance of ending America’s opioid crisis.
‘This is a public health crisis. And it has to stop,’ he said.
‘Deadly opioids like fentanyl and heroin don’t care about who you are or what you’ve accomplished. They just feed addiction and lead to tragedy. The Southern District of New York and our law enforcement partners will not give up. We will bring every tool to bear. And we will continue to hold accountable the dealers who push this poison, exploit addiction, and cause senseless death.’
Although Williams’ fatal overdose was originally ruled an accident, NYPD Deputy Chief John Chell had instructed the 90th Precinct Detective Squad and Brooklyn North Narcotics Group, who were in charge of the investigation, to treat the death as a homicide.
According to the Daily Beast’s investigation in the final day of Williams life, the actor drove off from Manhattan to Williamsburg on September 5.
Footage from street cameras showed Williams coming up on the street where Cartagena and his associates allegedly ran their drug trafficking operation.
When he reached the apartment, Williams could be seen walking up to five men on the street, with one of them identified as Cartagena.
Williams handed the man a wad of cash, and Cartagena could be seen counting the bills before reaching into a paper bag stashed beside a blue recycling can in front of the apartment.
Prosecutors said that was when Cartagena handed Williams the heroin laced with fentanyl that would kill him the following day.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It can cause death when taken in high doses or when combined with other substances.
Detectives noted that the men appeared relaxed through the entire transaction, exchanging phone numbers and chatting, completely unaware that it was all being captured by cameras.
‘The building has these cameras pointing directly on them the whole day long,’ Det. Mark Gurleski told Daily Beast.
This is a developing story.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk