A Brooklyn drug dealer pleaded guilty provide the actor of “The Wire” Michael K Williams the fentanyl heroin that caused his death.
The guilty plea of Irvin Cartagena a charge of conspiracy to distribute drugs was filed in federal court in Manhattan. Her sentencing date was set by US District Judge Ronnie Abrams for August 18, when Cartagena will face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and the possibility of up to 40 years behind bars.
The famous actor, who has also starred in films and other TV series, including ‘Boardwalk Empire’, has been in pain overdose in his Brooklyn penthouse in September 2021. Authorities said he died hours after buying heroin from Cartagena on a Brooklyn street in a transaction that it was caught on a security camera.
Cartagena, 39, signed a plea bargain with prosecutors ruling that the mix of heroin and fentanyl he sold to Williams resulted in his death. Her attorney, Sean Maher, declined to comment.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who is not related to the actor, said in a statement that the sale has taken place “in broad daylight in New York City, feed addiction and cause tragedy”.
“In doing so, he administered the fatal dose that killed Michael K. Williams,” Williams said.
Prosecutors said Cartagena and his alleged accomplices continued to sell fentanyl-based heroin from residential condos in Brooklyn and Manhattan even after learning of the actor’s death. Another defendant in the case pleaded guilty on Tuesday.
Williams’ death came despite an investigation by the New York Police Department that placed a paid informant making controlled heroin purchases on the same block where Williams bought drugs.
The next day, the informant returned to purchase more drugs from the same group and recorded a conversation in which some of them discussed Williams’ overdose. One denied the sale of fentanyl-containing drugs.
Williams’ character Omar Little in “The Wire,” a fictional Baltimore underworld series that ended in 2008 but remained popular, was based on a real figure.
Williams created another classic character with Chalky White in the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” and has also starred in “12 Years a Slave,” “Assassin’s Creed” and other films.
In interviews, Williams had spoken about his addiction issues.
Source: Clarin
