Drug cartels, particularly in Mexico, have used 

acid and caustic chemicals (lye/sodium hydroxide) to dispose of human bodies to eliminate evidence of their crimes. This practice is a known method used by criminal organizations, with specific individuals arrested and convicted for performing this gruesome task. 

Notable Cases and Details

• Santiago Meza López, “The Pozole Maker”:Meza López, associated with the Arellano Félix cartel, confessed to dissolving approximately 300 bodies over a period of years. He described a process involving placing bodies in a tub with water and sodium hydroxide (lye), heating it, and stirring for eight hours until only teeth, nails, and bone fragments remained. The remains were then burned and buried on his property. He was paid around $600 per week for this work. In 2024, he received an additional prison sentence for his crimes.
• Case of the Three Film Students: In 2018, three film students in Jalisco, Mexico, were abducted, tortured, murdered, and their bodies were dissolved in sulfuric acid by members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The cartel members mistakenly believed the students were associated with a rival gang because they were filming at a property previously used as a rival safe house.
• Christian Omar Palma Gutiérrez, “QBA”: A local rapper, Christian Omar Palma Gutiérrez, was arrested and confessed to being one of the individuals paid by the CJNG to dispose of the film students’ bodies and others using acid baths. He was paid about 3,000 pesos ($160 USD at the time) per week as a “cook”. 

This method is used by cartels as a means of intimidation and to make it extremely difficult for authorities and families to find the remains of victims, adding to the trauma of the missing persons crisis in Mexico.