Michael K Williams: Four charged over drug overdose of The Wire actor

Drug gang sold fentanyl-laced heroin to actor before he died of accidental overdose in September at his Brooklyn home, the DOJ say

Prosecutors say the surveillance image shows Irvin Cartagena, left, selling fentanyl-laced heroin to the actor Michael K Williams (Department of Justice)

Four men have been charged over the drug overdose death of The Wire actor Michael K Williams, authorities announced on Wednesday.

Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the accused men were part of a gang that sold heroin laced with fentanyl to the 54-tear-old actor prior to his death in Brooklyn in September.

In a statement, Mr Williams vowed to bring “every tool to bear” to fight the drug epidemic.

“This is a public health crisis. And it has to stop. 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.”

Statement of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams on the arrests of four defendants in connection with the overdose death of Michael K. Williams pic.twitter.com/EtrtYTr7xF

— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) February 2, 2022

Law enforcement released images allegedly showing members of the drug-trafficking gang “executing the hand-to-hand transaction” of fentanyl-laced heroin to Williams on 5 September last year on South 3rd Street.

A drug trafficking gang had been operating near the actor’s home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, since August 2020, the Department of Justice and the NYPD said in a joint statement.

Michael K Williams can be seen purchasing drugs from Irvin Cartagena, authorities say (Department of Justice)

Michael K Williams earned widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Omar Little in The Wire (2021 Invision)

Despite knowing that Williams died after being sold the drugs, the gan continued to sell “fentanyl-laced heroin, in broad daylight, amidst residential apartment buildings, in Brooklyn and Manhattan”, the statement alleges.

Irvin Cartagena, 39 , of Brooklyn, who has the DOJ say goes by the name Green Eyes, has been charged in Manhattan federal court with narcotics conspiracy for allegedly selling the laced drugs to Mr Williams.

Mr Cartagena was arrested in Puerto Rico and would appear in court there on Friday.

Hector Robles, 57, of  Luis Cruz, 56, and Carlos Macci, 70, all of Brooklyn, were charged “as members of the fentanyl and heroin conspiracy”.

They will appear in court in Manhattan Thursday.

Williams, who rose to fame for his performance as Omar Little in The Wire, was found dead on 6 September in his New York home.

His cause of death was confirmed as an accidental drug overdose by the New York medical examiner.

The examiner confirmed that the 54-year-old actor’s death was caused by “acute intoxication” of a combination of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and p-fluorofentanyl.

Williams was also an Emmy nominee this year for his work on HBO’s Lovecraft Country, in which he starred alongside Jonathan Majors.

As well as The Wire, Williams won acclaim for his role as Chalky White on period gangster drama Boardwalk Empire and mini-series The Night Of.

In a statement, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said narcotics and precinct detectives in Brooklyn North had relentlessly investigated the actor’s death “until they could bring a measure of justice to Michael K. Williams and his family”.

“I commend our NYPD investigators, working closely with their federal partners in the United States Attorney’s Office, in the Southern District of New York, for their work to clean up this long-embattled block in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and for their sustained commitment to follow every lead this case wrought, from New York City to Puerto Rico and back.”