Drug dealer sentenced to five years in prison in connection with death of Michael K. Williams

A convicted fentanyl dealer and member of a New York drug ring blamed for the overdose death of actor Michael K. Williams has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.

According to an Associated Press article, Luis Cruz was part of a four-person team convicted of selling fentanyl-laced heroin to Williams, who played Omar Little on the HBO series “The Wire” and played other roles throughout his career. Williams overdosed in his Brooklyn apartment in September 2021 after consuming heroin laced with fentanyl. He was 54 years old at the time.

“It was a terrible error in judgment,” Cruz wrote in a letter to the judge, mentioning that before his conviction he was an electrician and sold drugs to support his own addiction and make extra money for bills.

The AP said Cruz pleaded guilty to a reduced drug conspiracy charge in April. Prosecutors said Cruz continued selling the drugs after Williams died, and a search of his home turned up more than 500 bags of heroin and other paraphernalia.

Cruz was not the one who sold the drugs to Williams, who died just four hours after purchasing them. 40-year-old Irvin Cartagena, another member of the crew, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August for selling the drugs to Williams. Another member, 71-year-old Carlos Macci, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for taking part in the operation. All parties involved continued to sell drugs after Williams’ death, and the crew was aware that another person had also died before Williams, the Associated Press article said.

“I am very sorry for my actions,” Cartagena said before the verdict was announced. “When we sold the drugs, we never intended for anyone to lose their life.”

The fourth member of the group that sold Williams the tainted drugs is still awaiting sentencing. It is difficult to determine whether any of the crew members were actually in charge or in a leadership position, as they all argued that they were trapped in a cycle of addiction.

In fact, the AP said that Cartagena, who physically handed the drugs to Williams, told the judge that he was paid exclusively in heroin for his dealing services. Shortly after Williams’ death, he fled to Puerto Rico, where he was arrested in 2022.

“In a tragic moment, Mr. Cartagena was the one who handed Mr. Williams the small package of drugs – it could easily have been any other man who was there or nearby selling the same drugs,” Sean Maher, Cartagena’s attorney, wrote in a statement Letter to the judge. “Sentencing Mr. Cartagena to double-digit prison sentences will not bring back the beautiful life that was lost.”

Friends, colleagues and fans were all devastated to hear of Williams’ tragic overdose in 2021. Williams played an openly gay heist on The Wire, robbing low-level drug dealers while whistling an eerie version of “The Farmer in the Dell.” But Williams also struggled with off-air addiction in his personal life.

In fact, at Macci’s sentencing, the judge was presented with a letter from David Simon, co-creator of The Wire, in which he asked the judge for leniency on Marci’s behalf, explaining that Williams himself did not want Macci to receive the $20 sentence he recommended years or more served according to federal sentencing guidelines. Simon said Williams confided in a production producer on the show about his struggles with addiction and also allowed another crew member to be a constant source of encouragement to keep him away from drugs.

“We watched with relief and joy as Michael Williams recovered,” Simon said. “I miss my friend, but I know that looking at the undone and desolate life of Mr. Macci, Michael would know two things for sure: First, that it was Michael who bears full responsibility for what happened. And secondly, no good can come from incarcerating a 71-year-old soul who is largely illiterate and has struggled with addiction throughout her life…”

Cruz was taken into federal custody after the sentencing, but it was not immediately clear where he would serve his sentence. Cruz’s attorney, Deborah Colson, said in an email to the Associated Press that Cruz has “accepted responsibility and apologized sincerely and from the heart.”