In a cross-border law enforcement breakthrough announced this week, Dominican authorities have confirmed the arrest of a 28-year-old fugitive wanted for the fatal stabbing of a garbage truck driver in the Dominican Republic. Jhovanny De Jesús Metz Cruz, the suspect identified in the April 17 killing of 40-year-old Deivy Carlos Abreu Quezada, was taken into custody on the island of Jamaica, where he had fled under an assumed identity after leaving the Dominican Republic by sea.
Local media reports from the Caribbean region confirm that Metz Cruz was not alone when authorities carried out the arrest. He was accompanied by another Dominican national, and both were staying at a residence in Annotto Bay, a coastal community in Jamaica’s northeastern parish of St. Mary, as guests of a local resident. All three men — the two fugitives and the local host — were detained during the law enforcement operation, according to regional media accounts.
The killing that led to the manhunt took place in a public parking lot outside the Santiago Palace of Justice, one of the Dominican Republic’s key judicial hubs. Court documents outline that Metz Cruz is alleged to have acted alongside a group of motorcyclist associates to carry out the fatal attack on Abreu Quezada. Within two days of the April 17 crime, Dominican judicial authorities issued an official arrest warrant numbered 2026-AJ0030957-8, which was followed by a Red Notice for international search and capture — document No. A-6332/4-2026, dated April 19, 2026 — to alert law enforcement agencies across borders of the fugitive’s flight.
Now that the primary suspect has been located and arrested, Dominican law enforcement officials confirmed they are working closely with Jamaican authorities to coordinate his repatriation. The cross-border collaboration between the two Caribbean nations highlights ongoing efforts to bring suspects of violent crime to justice, even after they attempt to escape jurisdiction by fleeing to neighboring countries.