Santiago Meza Lopez, 45, center, aka "el pozolero del Teo", who allegedly worked for Teo, a drug lord from the Tijuana area, is escorted by Mexican soldiers and Federal police agents as they leave the place where he allegedly buried his victims, in the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 23, 2009. Meza Lopez, the number 20th on the FBI most wanted list, allegedly helped a drug cartel dispose of hundreds of victims by dissolving them in acid, abc reported
Relatives of 100 missing people want to show photos of their loved ones to a man arrested in Tijuana for allegedly helping a druglord dispose of his slain enemies by dissolving their bodies in acid, a victims' group said Saturday.
Santiago Meza Lopez, known as the "Pozole Maker" after a local stew, is accused by Mexico's military of disposing of 300 bodies for Teodoro Garcia Simental, a suspected former lieutenant of the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel.
The relatives have asked authorities for permission to meet face-to-face with the 45-year-old Meza, said Cristina Palacios, president of Citizens United Against Impunity, a group that represents families of missing people in Tijuana.
Meza was arrested Thursday and paraded by soldiers and federal police in front of reporters on Friday at a cement-block shack where he allegedly got rid of many of the bodies over several years.
The security officers had Meza tell reporters how he did it: first dumping the corpses in large plastic bins filled with acid, then burying any remains. Surrounded by soldiers, Meza told reporters he helped get rid of 300 bodies.
Meza has not been charged. Investigators have not identified any of Meza's alleged victims or provided evidence to back up the 300 victims claim.
"We are here because this arrest has given us a ray of hope," Palacios said after meeting with Baja California state authorities.
State Attorney General Rommel Moreno said Meza would be shown the photos to see if he recognized any as among his victims, and authorities were considering allowing the relatives to meet with him.
The relatives did not say whether they believed their missing loved ones were involved in drug trafficking. But Fernando Ocegueda, whose son disappeared in February 2007, said most of the 100 people vanished in eastern Tijuana, which is believed to be Garcia's stronghold.
The group believes that Garcia "had a lot to do with the kidnapping of many of the people we are looking for," he said.