The Brooklyn drug dealer who plead guilty in April to selling Michael K. Williams a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin has been sentenced to ten years in prison.
In an statement released on Friday, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that Irvin “Green Eyes” Cartagena had been sentenced to ten years plus five years of supervised release for “conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and fentanyl analogue.”
“Michael K. Williams tragically lost his life after using the drugs sold to him by Cartagena,” prosecuting US Attorney Damian Williams stated. “Although their product had already claimed one life, Cartagena and his co-conspirators continued to sell potentially lethal fentanyl-laced heroin. This Office will tenaciously continue our enforcement efforts against unscrupulous drug dealers who distribute poison and exacerbate the scourge of the fentanyl epidemic.”
US District Judge Ronnie Abrams handed down the sentence and told Cartagena (per The Associated Press), “I’m hopeful that with treatment… it will help you move forward on a more productive and law-abiding path.” Although prosecutors had requested a minimum sentence of 12 years, Abrams opted for less, concluding that the “sentence, while severe, is sufficient but not greater than necessary.”
Prior to his sentencing, Cartagena shared a statement, saying: “I am very sorry for my actions. When we sold the drugs, we never intended for anyone to lose their life.”
The late actor and producer, best known for portraying Omar Little for five seasons on HBO’s The Wire, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment on September 6th, 2021, one day after the hand-t0-hand transaction occurred outside of a Brooklyn apartment in the Williamsburg neighborhood. Cartagena was later arrested in Puerto Rico in February 2022.
Williams’ final screen credit, the western drama Surrounded, debuted in April 2023.
