Four men have been taken into custody and charged in the death of The Wire series fame Michael K. Williams, who died due to an overdose, authorities issued a statement on Wednesday. The four were arrested on Tuesday and have been accused of drug trafficking in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York issued a statement that the four have been charged with a narcotics conspiracy involving the distribution of fentanyl-laced heroin, the drug that killed Williams.
Citing video surveillance of the four involved in a hand-to-hand transaction of the lethal dose to Williams on September 5 last year, the actor was discovered dead in his apartment the next day. He was 54. The defendants have been identified to be Irvin Cartagena, who was taken in by authorities in Puerto Rico, while Hector Robles, Luis Cruz, and Carlos Macci were to be produced at the Manhattan federal court. Issuing a statement, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the SDNY, said, "This is a public health crisis." He added, "And it has to stop. Deadly opioids like fentanyl and heroin don't care about who you are or what you've accomplished. They just feed addiction and lead to tragedy", while also assuring that authorities "will bring every tool to bear. And we will continue to hold accountable the dealers who push this poison, exploit addiction, and cause senseless death."
Michael K. Williams garnered a huge fan following for his performance in the role of Omar Little across all five seasons of the smash hit HBO drama, The Wire. He also made heads turn with his appearances on television shows like Boardwalk Empire and Lovecraft Country. Williams earned an Emmy nomination last year for his performance on Lovecraft Country, while also featuring in films like 12 Years a Slave, Assassin's Creed, Inherent Vice, Gone Baby Gone, and The Purge: Anarchy.