Police arrest the 'Stew Maker' drug thug who dissolved 300 bodies in acid



Mexican police have arrested a man accused of helping a drug kingpin dispose of hundreds of victims by dissolving their bodies in acid.

Santiago Meza Lopez, who has been dubbed the 'Stew maker', confessed to disposing of at least 300 bodies over a decade by dumping them in graves and pouring acid on them to let them dissolve underground.

The victims are believed to be rivals of Teodoro Garcia Simental, an alleged former lieutenant of the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel, authorities said.

Soldiers and police paraded Meza, 45, before the public at a cement-block shack on the outskirts of Tijuana where he allegedly disposed of the bodies. Two grave-sized holes had been dug near the walls.

Public display: Police prod alleged mass murderer Meza to speak to the media

Meza, who has not yet been charged, was arrested along with three other people on Thursday at a Tijuana hotel.



The security officers made Meza tell reporters how he allegedly disposed of the bodies, prodding him to speak up whenever he mumbled. He told reporters that he was paid £440 a week for his work.

Meza told police his busiest period was in December 2007 when he claims to have disposed of 32 bodies.

Relatives of the missing people want to show photos of their loved ones to Meza.

Citizens United Against Impunity, a group representing families of missing people in Tijuana, has asked authorities to for permission to meet face-to-face with the accused man.

Grisly find: A soldier investigates Meza's backyard where he allegedly disposed of the bodies

'We are here because this arrest has given us a ray of hope,' said Cristina Palacios, president of CUAI.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration identified Garcia as one of 10 men battling for drug trafficking routes through Tijuana.



The DEA said Garcia was the chief rival of alleged Arellano Felix cartel leader Fernando Sanchez Arrellano.

Mexican officials have blamed the power struggle for a surge in violence in Tijuana, the birthplace of the Arellano Felix cartel.



The two men split in April after a shootout between their followers in Tijuana left at least 14 people dead.

Capture: Heavily-armed soldiers take away Mexican drug suspect Meza

The Arellano Felix cartel rose to power in 1980s. Since 2002, four brothers who led the cartel have been killed or arrested, most recently Eduardo Arellano Felix, who was captured in October in his Tijuana home.

Mexico's grisly drug wars have surged in recent years, particularly in the northern border cities of Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez.



Drug violence claimed more than 5,300 lives last year.

In one case last year, authorities said they found human teeth and other remains inside barrels of acid left on a Tijuana street. Officials did not say whether Meza was suspected of involvement in that case.

Two human heads were also found inside coolers near police stations in Celaya, a city in central Guanajuato state, said state deputy Attorney General Armando Amaro.

Hours later, police found the bodies with their hands tied behind their backs.

A message was left with the heads threatening allies of a drug cartel knows as La Familia, Attorney Genral Amaro said.



It was signed by Zetas, a group of hit men for the Gulf Cartel.