According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, four men face charges and have been arrested for allegedly being part of a drug trafficking organization that supplied a deadly mix of narcotics to Michael K. Williams, the five-time Emmy nominated, renowned actor from The Wire and Lovecraft Country.
Williams overdosed just hours after buying fentanyl-laced heroin in a deal recorded on security camera video.
Irvin Cartagena (aka “Green Eyes,”) 39, Hector Robles (aka “Oreja,”) 57, Luis Cruz (aka “Mostro,”) 56, and Carlos Macci (aka “Carlito,”) 70, were arrested on Tuesday and were each charged with “conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin,” according to court filings. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years.
REELated: Scarlett Johansson settles lawsuit with Disney over Black Widow
The man seen on camera handing Williams the drugs on a Brooklyn sidewalk, Cartagena, who was charged with narcotics conspiracy in which he distributed the fentanyl-laced heroin to Michael K. Williams, which directly caused his death.
Cartagena faces an additional minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Despite knowing that Williams died after being sold the DTO’s product, Cartagena, Robles, Cruz, and Macci continued to sell fentanyl-laced heroin, in broad daylight, amidst residential apartment buildings, in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Cartagena was arrested in Puerto Rico on Tuesday and is expected to be presented on Thursday in federal court in Puerto Rico. Robles, Cruz, and Macci were arrested on Tuesday and were presented on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in the statement: “Michael K. Williams, a prominent actor and producer, tragically overdosed in his New York City apartment from fentanyl-laced heroin. Today, along with our law enforcement partners at the NYPD, we announce the arrests of members of a drug crew, including Irvin Cartagena, the man who we allege sold the deadly dose of drugs to Michael K. Williams. 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. The Southern District of New York and our law enforcement partners will not give up. We will bring every tool to bear. And we will continue to hold accountable the dealers who push this poison, exploit addiction, and cause senseless death.”
Life imitates art and a sting that was remarkably similar to the kind depicted on The Wire, where Williams gained fame playing the bandit Omar Little, was how NYPD’s narcotics and precinct detectives were able to find and capture those responsible for Williams’ death.
For months, a paid confidential informant working for the NYPD had been making controlled buys of heroin on the same block where Williams purchased his drugs. The purported heroin was in glassines stamped “AAA Insurance.” The NYPD Lab tested the contents of ten of the glassines and detected heroin and fentanyl.
The confidential informant made one purchase just days before the actor was found unresponsive in his apartment of an apparent overdose, court papers said. The NYPD found, among other things: a white plate with white powdery residue on it, a straw on the plate, and several glassines that were marked with the stamp “AAA Insurance” and scattered on and around the white plate. The police believe Williams had previously used the white plate and straw to ingest cocaine. Williams had always spoken frankly in interviews about his experiences with addiction.
The day after the actor’s death, the NYPD’s informant went back to buy more drugs from the same group and purchased single glassine. The glassine was stamped “AAA Insurance” like the unopened “AAA Insurance” glassines recovered from the Williams Apartment. There is a recording of a conversation in which some members of the crew talked about Williams’ overdose. One denied selling any drugs containing fentanyl and stated, “what, what you think that it has — ah, ah, ah, ah — fentanyl and shit? We don’t, don’t f**k with that.”
It seems that the drug trafficking organization was attempting to distance itself from the actor’s death and was in the process of “rebranding” their products. The confidential informant was recorded saying, “At least y’all were smart. Y’all changed the name” in reference to changing the stamp on the glassines from “AAA Insurance” to “Conoco Gas” when he attempted to purchase more samples of the “AAA Insurance” glassines. The NYPD Lab determined the “Conoco Gas” glassines contained heroin and fentanyl, as well as procaine, xylazine, papaverine, and caffeine, almost identical to the “AAA Insurance” glassines.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said: “As these federal charges show, the NYPD’s narcotics and precinct detectives in Brooklyn North lived this case, never relenting in their investigation until they could bring a measure of justice to Michael K. Williams and his family. It is a level of dedication the NYPD carries out in every case, from beginning to end, in every instance where criminals peddle narcotics and prey on the innocent, and where people die from illegal drugs. 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.”
Nominate Someone You know For 4th Annual The Reel Black List OR Reel Women
Joia DaVida reports on the entertainment industry in both Chicago and Los Angeles.
