Infamous drug trafficker Santiago Meza Lopez, 45, was recently arrested. Known as "El Pozolero" (The Stew Maker), Lopez gained notoriety for dissolving the bodies of approximately 300 victims in bath tubs of acid over a ten year span. Lopez, a native of Sinaloa, Mexico stated that he executed the jobs for a drug lord by the name of Teodoro Garcia Simental, also known as "El Teo." Meza confessed to being paid $600 a week for his torturous acts.

On Thursday, January 22, Lopez was apprehended en route to Tijuana, Mexico. With no chance of escape he quickly surrendered to the local Mexican authorities.

According to Times.com, Meza admitted to bathing the bodies (which he insisted were all men) in acid for 24 hours, then burying them. He did not state the manner in which he tortured and disposed the bodies of the women. The victims, Lopez stated, were men who betrayed or were in debt with Garcia. Over the weekend, families of the dead pleaded to show photos of their loved ones to Lopez, in the hopes that he would tell them of the victim's locations. According to Attorney-General Rommel Moreno, Lopez will be shown the photos but as of now, all "El Pozolero" has been able to offer is an apology to the families of the victims.

Horrendous acts, such as the ones executed by Lopez, are unfortunately all too common in Mexico, especially in the heavily trafficked areas of Tijuana. The feud between the rival drug cartels of Sinaloa and the Gulf of Mexico has led to an upsurge in the violence in certain areas of Mexico, where kidnapping and drug related violence have become a way of life.