Minor confessed to killing Cuban delivery worker in Montevideo and released
A 16-year-old admitted to shooting José Eduardo Cuéllar Arteaga in Carrasco Norte, but was released after the detention period expired.
Minor confessed to killing Cuban delivery worker in Montevideo and released
On Friday night, at the intersection of Capri and Máximo Tajes in Carrasco Norte, a Cuban-born PedidosYa delivery worker was shot in the chest when two armed thieves on foot attempted to steal his motorcycle. The man resisted the robbery, a struggle ensued and one of the thieves shot him. He died at the scene. They only stole his mobile phone.
The victim was 31 years old, had come from Manicaragua—in the centre of the Caribbean island—and those close to him called him "Pirolito". He was part of a contingent of more than 22,000 Cubans who arrived in Uruguay during 2025, an unprecedented figure that makes that community the fastest-growing in the eastern territory.
Two days later, a 16-year-old boy appeared at the Carrasco Cruz police station with his mother and said he had pulled the trigger, according to reporting by Teledoce. Despite the confession, the boy was released that same day because the maximum arrest time was exceeded without the prosecution formalising the case. He continues to be investigated, but remains free.
The Police must now verify whether the teenager's account matches the recordings from the Interior Ministry's security cameras and the rest of the evidence.
Alejandro Sánchez, Secretary of the Presidency, spoke to Telenoche about the case. He said he felt "pain at the loss of a human being, at the family, at a worker". He assured that the Executive Branch must "redouble its efforts so that these things stop happening". He admitted that, although the National Public Security Plan succeeded in reducing some crimes last year, the result "is not sufficient".
This homicide was the third against a delivery worker in just ten days in the Uruguayan capital. The situation triggered a massive march on Saturday. Juan Pintos, a spokesman for the protestors, posed a question to the government: "How many more deaths do we, the working force, have to lose before the government talks openly about security?".
The Civil Association Manos Cubanas issued a statement in which it emphasised "the vulnerability to which our workers are exposed who every day go out to earn their living with effort and dignity".
Since October 2025, Carrasco Norte has been considered one of the most dangerous areas for delivery workers in Montevideo, with direct robberies and fake orders used to set up ambushes.
Source: Google News UY — Crime