Williams, renowned for his intricately layered depictions of gangsters on The Wire, passed away last year due to the inhalation of heroin tainted with fentanyl. A gifted actor who grappled with addiction, he candidly shared his struggles.
In September, he was discovered lifeless after consuming the substances. The NYC Medical Examiner’s office concluded that his demise resulted from “acute intoxication caused by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluoro-fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine,” as stated by authorities.
The drugs were purchased from an organization based in Brooklyn, police allege. That group allegedly sold Williams the deadly mix in a hand-to-hand transaction that was caught on surveillance video.
Prosecutors say the man who actually handed off the heroin was Irvin Cartagena, 39, who had been selling drugs to undercover agents for months. A day before he died, Williams stopped by the same block where Cartagena and his associates had been running their illegal drug business.
According to the FBI, the men were captured on video in a meeting with Williams on the sidewalk in front of his home. After a brief conversation, they handed him an envelope containing a large dose of fentanyl.
The federal complaint, which came to light on Wednesday, alleges that all four individuals were involved in a conspiracy to distribute, possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin. They include Hector Robles, 57; Luiz Cruz, 56; and Carlos Macci, 70. They are all from Brooklyn.
