The 39-year-old man who sold the fentanyl-laced heroin that ultimately resulted in actor Michael K. Williams’ fatal overdose pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a drug conspiracy charge, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Officials said Irvin Cartagena sold Williams heroin laced with fentanyl that resulted in his death. The 54 year-old actor was found dead in his Williamsburg apartment in September 2021.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Cartagena executed the deal with Williams in the beginning of September in 2021 while operating under a Williamsburg, Brooklyn drug trafficking organization that started around August 2020. The outfit sold heroin laced with fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue on the street in front of, and inside an apartment on South 3rd Street, among other places, officials said. The group continued selling the drugs even after learning of the actor’s death, authorities said.
“Irvin Cartagena sold fentanyl-laced heroin in broad daylight in New York City, feeding addiction and causing tragedy,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “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.”
The Brooklyn native was raised in East Flatbush, and was best known for his role as stick-up man Omar Little in the HBO series The Wire.
The charge against Cartagena carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison.
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