Four Arrested in Connection with Michael K. Williams' Overdose Death

Four men have been arrested and charged in connection with actor Michael K. Williams’ September 2021 overdose death.

On Wednesday, a New York federal court announced that Irvin Cartagena, 39, Hector Robles, 57, Luis Cruz, 56, and Carlos Macci, 70, have been charged for their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking organization which is believed to have played a role in selling lethal fentanyl-laced heroin to Williams.

The four men have each been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin, and if found guilty, will receive prison sentences between five and 40 years.

Cartagena — who was allegedly seen on surveillance video completing a drug transaction with Williams on a Brooklyn sidewalk — faces an additional charge of causing the actor's death in connection with the narcotics conspiracy, and if found guilty of this more severe crime, faces a separate prison sentence of 20 years to life.

It is unclear if the men have entered pleas or have retained attorneys.

In a video announcing the charges, U.S. District Attorney Damian Williams, no relation to Michael, said his office "will continue to hold accountable the dealers who push this poison, exploit addiction, and cause senseless death."

"This is a public health crisis, and it has to stop," the D.A. continued. "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."

Last September, sources told the New York Post that Williams — best known for his roles in acclaimed TV shows such as “The Wire,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and “Lovecraft Country” — was discovered facedown and unresponsive in his dining room with what appeared to be drugs on the kitchen table.

Insiders say that a relative went to Williams’ residence after previously speaking to the actor days prior. An unidentified person then called authorities saying there was a man at the apartment who was “unresponsive’’ and “feels cold.” Williams was later pronounced dead.

Later that month, New York City's medical examiner determined Williams died of acute drug intoxication and described his death as accidental. Additionally, officials say he had fentanyl, parafluorofentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in his system.

Williams had been open about his addiction issues and in 2016, he told NPR that he sought help at a New Jersey church while filming “The Wire.”

“When I came through those doors, I was broken. This was, I would say, around the third season of ‘The Wire.’ I was on drugs. I was in jeopardy of destroying everything I had worked so hard for, and I came in those doors and I met a man who had never even heard of ‘The Wire,’ much less watched it.’”

He also told The New York Times in 2017, “Addiction doesn’t go away. It’s an everyday struggle for me, but I’m fighting.”