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The tragic situation of actor Michael K. Williams‘ fatal overdose is inching towards some sort of closure as it was announced that four men were arrested in connection to the case.
The Southern District of New York announced on Wednesday (March 2nd) that they and other authorities arrested four men who they allege were connected to the 54-year old actor’s death. Williams, best known for his captivating roles on HBO’s The Wire and Lovecraft Country, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment on September 6th, 2021 after overdosing on heroin that was laced with fentanyl. Irvin Cartagena, 39, Hector Robles, 57, Luis Cruz, 56, and Carlos Macci, 70, were allegedly members of the group trafficking in drugs that sold the narcotics to Williams. Cartagena was observed and identified conducting the alleged transaction in surveillance video taken on September 5th, which showed the crew in action in front of an apartment building in Williamsburg.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams spoke about the arrests in a video statement shared to Twitter, citing the rise in overdose deaths as a “public health crisis” that needs to be confronted. “It has to stop. Deadly opioids like fentanyl and heroin don’t care about who you are or what you’ve accomplished.”, he said.
Each of the individuals have been charged with “conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison,” and all four are additionally charged “in connection with the narcotics conspiracy” with causing Williams’ death. The four men pleaded not guilty during their appearance in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Wednesday morning, and will remain imprisoned as they await a hearing on June 10th. If convicted, each of the men faces a sentence of life in prison.
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