Michael K. Williams died of an overdose of heroin containing fentanyl.
• Also read: Four drug dealers arrested in New York in connection with the death of actor Michael K. Williams
He died at his Brooklyn apartment in September 2021 at the age of 54, just hours after buying the drugs on the street, in a transaction caught on security camera. His dealer Irvin Cartagena, a drug dealer from New York, was sentenced to ten years in prison on August 19 (23) for the death of the star of the series On Wire (The Wire).
Irvin Cartagena pleaded guilty to drug-distribution conspiracy in April.
“I’m really sorry for my actions,” said the accused before the verdict. When we were selling drugs, we never intended for anyone to die. »
US Judge Ronnie Abrams argued in his ruling that Irvin Cartagena caused the actor’s death by supplying Michael K. Williams with heroin containing fentanyl. However, he noted that those who knew Irvin Cartagena described him as “helpful, humble and hardworking” despite not using drugs himself. “I hope that treatment will help you move down a more productive and law-abiding path,” Judge Abrams said, according to Billboard.
The dealer faced a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and could have spent up to forty years behind bars.
New York’s Southern District Attorney Damian Williams noted in a statement that those involved in selling drugs to the comedian knew someone had already died from the substances they were selling. He also argued that after the actor’s death, Irvin Cartagena continued to sell fentanyl-containing heroin in Manhattan and Brooklyn before fleeing to Puerto Rico, where he was arrested in February 2022.
The cult series The Wire follows Baltimore as he tries to take down a sprawling drug and crime ring. Michael K. Williams played Omar Little there, a sort of contemporary Robin Hood who robs drug dealers.