Drug Dealer Sentenced To 10 Years For Death Of Michael K. Williams

A NYC drug dealer has been sentenced to ten years behind bars for selling to fentanyl laced heroine to Michael K. Williams, which caused his death in September 2021.

Irvin Cartagena (40) also received an additional five year sentence of supervised release for conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogue.

"On Sept. 5, 2021, Irvin Cartagena sold Michael K. Williams a fatal dose of heroin laced with fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue. Michael K. Williams tragically lost his life after using the drugs sold to him by Cartagena."

"Although their product had already claimed one life, Cartagena and his co-conspirators continued to sell potentially lethal fentanyl-laced heroin. This Office will tenaciously continue our enforcement efforts against unscrupulous drug dealers who distribute poison and exacerbate the scourge of the fentanyl epidemic.”

Addressing the court before his sentence, he said “I am very sorry for my actions. When we sold the drugs, we never intended for anyone to lose their life.”

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams said those who know him describe him as "helpful and humble and hard-working" when he's sober. “I’m hopeful that with treatment ... it will help you move forward on a more productive and law-abiding path."

He pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to distribute drugs. He was one of four charged with being part of drug trafficking organisation DTO, which sold the heroin to Michael. He was arrested in February 2022 after fleeing to Puerto Rico.

Last month, co-conspirator Carlos Macci (72) was sentenced to two and a half years behind bars and ordered to serve three years of supervised release, with the first year in an inpatient drug treatment facility.

Macci and the two other men, Hector Robles and Luis Cruz, all took guilty plea deals. Robles and Cruz are scheduled to be sentenced on September 26th.

Michael was found dead at the age of 54 of an accidental fentanyl overdose in his Brooklyn, New York, penthouse apartment on September 6th, 2021. 

At Cartagena's plea hearing, it was noted he was the one who "dealt the fatal dose that killed Michael K. Williams."

Michael was best known for 'The Wire,' 'Boardwalk Empire,' and 'Lovecraft Country.'

He also appearing films such as 'Assassin's Creed,' and '12 Years a Slave.'

He had previously spoken out about his addiction struggles, revealing he'd relapsed multiple times throughout his career.

"Addiction doesn't go away. It's an everyday struggle for me, but I'm fighting."

"I was playing with fire. It was just a matter of time before I got caught and my business ended up on the cover of a tabloid or I went to jail or, worse, I ended up dead."

"I had to slip away to do drugs. I had to hide it. I'd be gone for days at a time. I was lonely in that part of my life. I was broke, broken and beat up. Exhausted. Empty. I finally said, 'I can't do this no more.' I didn't want to end up dead."