Related videos:
The Uruguayan police arrested a 15-year-old on Wednesday as the suspected perpetrator of the murder of the Cuban delivery person José Eduardo Cuéllar Arteaga, which occurred on April 24 in the Carrasco Norte neighborhood of Montevideo during an attempted robbery.
With this new arrest, made in Paso Carrasco, Canelones department, a total of two suspects in the crime have been placed at the disposal of the Justice.
The crime that shocked Montevideo
Cuéllar Arteaga, aged 31 and originally from Manicaragua, Villa Clara, was attacked on the night of April 24 while making a delivery for the PedidosYa platform at the intersection of Máximo Tajes and Capri streets.
Two criminals approached him on foot to steal his motorcycle.
The victim resisted and struggled with the attackers, who shot him in the chest. Medical personnel confirmed his death at the scene.
Despite the attack, the criminals fled without taking the motorcycle or the worker's belongings.
A colleague described what happened with these words:
"That boy was just delivering his order when some guys showed up; they were going to take his motorcycle. The boy let go of the motorcycle, and right there, they shot him in the chest, and he's dead."
The crime took place virtually in front of a camera from the Ministry of the Interior, whose recordings were crucial for identifying those responsible.
The first arrest: A teenager who turned himself in
A few days after the homicide, a 16-year-old teenager, also a resident of Paso Carrasco, voluntarily presented himself with his mother to the authorities and admitted his involvement in the incident.
Although he was initially released due to the expiration of the legal detention period, he was recaptured during a raid.
The Prosecutor's Office for Adolescents formalized charges against him for aggravated homicide and ordered his internment in the National Institute of Adolescent Social Inclusion (INISA) for 150 days as a precautionary measure.
The second arrest closes the case
The capture of the 15-year-old, announced this Thursday by local Uruguayan media, completes the picture of suspects that the Prosecutor's Office and the Police have been searching for since the day of the crime.
According to the investigation, both teenagers had gone out to commit thefts on the night of the homicide.
The 15-year-old minor appeared before the Prosecutor's Office this Wednesday to give a statement.
A wave of crimes against delivery workers
The murder of Cuéllar Arteaga was the third of a delivery worker in just ten days in Montevideo, which sparked a massive protest of around 500 workers from PedidosYa who marched from the crime scene to the Executive Tower in Plaza Independencia demanding safety and justice.
Union leader Claribel Blanco was emphatic during the protest: "They work without any safety measures."
A spokesperson for the delivery workers also warned: “Let’s not treat this as an isolated incident that happened to an immigrant; this is happening.”
The Secretary of the Presidency of Uruguay, Alejandro Sánchez, expressed sorrow over the death and stated that the Executive should "redouble efforts" to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Cubans in Uruguay, exposed to insecurity
Cuéllar Arteaga was part of a constantly growing Cuban community in Uruguay.
Over 22,000 Cubans arrived in the country in 2025, establishing it as one of the main destinations for Cuban emigration, and many of them work in the home delivery sector, an activity that directly exposes them to street insecurity.
As of the closing of this report, the identity of either of the two teenagers arrested for the crime has not been disclosed.
The 15-year-old teenager will now face the judicial process before the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, which will determine the applicable measures according to the Uruguayan juvenile criminal justice system.
Filed under: