NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A drug dealer was sentenced on Friday, August 18 in connection to the death of Michael K Williams.
US District Judge Ronnie Abrams sentenced Irvin Cartagena for providing 'The Wire' actor with fentanyl-laced heroin that resulted in his death, reported CBS News.
How long will Irvin Cartagena spend in prison?
Cartagena, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute drugs in April, has now been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In September 2021, Williams was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment after he overdosed.
According to authorities, hours before his death, the actor bought the fatal drug from a dealer later identified as Cartagena on a sidewalk in Williamsburg.
The drug deal was recorded by a surveillance camera.
The acclaimed actor who died at the age of 54 was famous for his role as the rogue robber of drug dealers in 'The Wire'.
Apart from his renowned portrayal of Omar Little in the HBO series which ran from 2002 to 2008, he also made appearances in several films and other TV series.
Who is Irvin Cartagena?
Irvin Cartagena of Aibonito, Puerto Rico was arrested after he was suspected of providing fatal drugs to Williams.
The 40-year-old then faced a mandatory minimum of five years behind bars and could have faced a potential sentence of 40 years.
The drug dealer had 14 prior convictions for drug-related crimes, including prison escape, robbery, and burglary.
Before the sentence was announced, Cartagena stated, "I am very sorry for my actions. When we sold drugs, we never intended for anyone to lose their life."
According to US Attorney Damian Williams' statement, those who took part in the sale of heroin to the actor were already aware the drugs they peddled had caused the death of someone else.
Prosecutors stated that the dealers including Cartagena continued their sale of fentanyl-laced heroin in Brooklyn and Manhattan even after the death of Williams.
However, Cartagena fled to Puerto Rico later where he was taken into custody in February 2022.
The convicted dealer's lawyer Sean Maher stated in his defense submission prior to his client's sentencing that Cartagena was paid for his street sales in heroin in order to support his own use.
“In a tragic instant, Mr Cartagena was the one who handed the small packet of drugs to Mr Williams — it easily could have been any of the other men who were there or in the vicinity selling the same drugs," Maher stated.
"Sentencing Mr Cartagena to double digits of prison time will not bring back the beautiful life that was lost," he wrote.
