Edwin Adams Cotto
Edwin Adams Cotto (1978 – March 7, 2005) was a Puerto Rican small-time drug dealer. In 2002 he was accused, along with reporter Laura Hernandez, of drug trafficking from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic. He was killed in the Higüey Prison fire.
Biography
Not much is known about Adams Cotto's life prior to being caught by the Dominican authorities. He was, apparently, friends with Hernandez and her husband Marcos Irizarry. In 2002, he joined Hernandez, Irizarry and others on a boat trip to the Dominican Republic, allegedly to travel as tourists. However, the boat was raided by Dominican police and drugs were found. The group were arrested and Adams Cotto was subsequently convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail.
Adams Cotto and the others in the group made a series of unsuccessful appeals against their sentences. By 2004, Adams Cotto had been diagnosed with AIDS and cancer. An appeal for clemency was refused.
On March 7, 2005, a prison riot in Higuey jail resulted in a fire in which 130 people, including Adams Cotto, were killed.