Baja man who dissolved 300 bodies in acid sentenced to 30 more years in prison
SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Santiago Meza López, who dissolved at least 300 bodies in acid for a drug cartel, was sentenced on Tuesday to an additional 30 years in prison.
He was arrested in 2009 and was dubbed “El Pozolero,” the pozole maker. (Pozole is a stew made with hominy, spices, vegetables, and pork or chicken.)
Meza López is said to have “stirred” and dissolved at least 300 dead bodies in acid at his Ensenada ranch about 70 miles south of the border.
In 2012, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was due to be released two years ago.
Many community members and those in law enforcement appealed for an extended sentence.
Cartel member who dissolved hundreds of cadavers in acid gets more prison time
On Tuesday, a court ruling came down giving Meza López an additional 30 years in prison for kidnapping and his ties to organized crime. The extra years behind bars have nothing to do with dissolving bodies in acid.
Prosecutors say he was connected to the Arellano Felix cartel that at one time controlled the flow of narcotics through Tijuana into the United States.
When arrested, Meza López confessed to earning $600 per week to submerge cadavers in a tub filled with acid and sodium hydroxide while “stirring” the bodies for eight hours until everything but the teeth, nails and some bone fragments dissolved.
He also said that whatever was left would be burned and then buried in an empty lot on his property.
After the arrest, investigators reportedly found anywhere from 14,000 to 15,000 remains buried in his ranch.
His 30-year sentence was supported by private groups of people who search for missing loved ones.
“This generates some comfort to those of us who search for the disappeared in Baja California,” said Fernando Ocegueda Flores, president of the United Association of the Missing. “We know this man is not roaming the streets, because if he was, he would be involved in the same business of dissolving bodies. We’re pleased with the sentence.”
Meza López is now 71 years old, and Ocegueda Flores suspects it is unlikely he will live past his time in custody.
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