A drug dealer who sold deadly fentanyl-laced heroin to actor Michael K. Williams is a repeat offender who had been released on bail, following the release of footage showing the pair’s interaction last year.
According to prosecutors, Irvin Cartegena peddled the drugs that ended up killing Mr Williams last September, although that was far from his first major criminal infraction.
Mr Cartegena was first arrested back in August 2020 for a drug sale and weapon possession, before being nabbed once again in February 2021 for possession of a controlled substance.
Prosecutors announced on Wednesday that the 39-year-old had been arrested in Puerto Rico for his role in the poisoning of Mr Williams – a revered actor who lost his life in the incident aged just 54.
As The Daily Beast first reported, New York’s bail reform provision was the main reason Mr Cartegena was back out on the streets at the time of the drug deal, following his February 2021 arrest.
Hector Robles, Luis Cruz and Carlos Macci, all from Brooklyn, were also arrested on Tuesday in New York.
Newly-released video surveillance shows the moment that Mr Williams receives the fatal drugs from Mr Cartagena, during their meet up on 5 September 2021.
According to New York officials, the four men who were involved in the deal were also part of a wider trafficking organisation run out of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighbourhood. In addition, they claim that the men had been involved in such activities since August 2020.
While there are many misconceptions over the lethality of fentanyl, it is an extremely potent painkiller that can kill if taken in large quantities – as it did to Prince in 2016. Major problems can arise if individuals don't know they are taking the drug, as it is all too easy for a deadly overdose to occur.
Mr Williams was discovered the day after taking the substance by his nephew. According to multiple reports, he was lying unconscious, face down in the living room, and was declared dead by paramedics who arrived on the scene shortly after.
Mr Cartagena, meanwhile, has been charged with causing the death of Mr Williams, with carries a mandatory maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Compounding this is the additional charge of conspiracy to distribute and posses fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin, which itself carries a maximum prison sentence of 40 years.
New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell said detectives have been working hard on the case since September in order to help bring justice to Mr Williams and his family.
“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,” Mr Sewell said.
