During his tenure as head of the PGR’s Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), as head of the capital’s Investigative Police, and later as secretary of Public Security for Mexico City, Omar García Harfuch has spearheaded high-impact actions against crime. organized, in addition to implementing anti-corruption policies within the security forces.
Among the organized crime groups that have been hit by actions under his command are from the Unión Tepito to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG).
Read: CDMX security secretary suffers attack in Las Lomas
Agents under Harfuch’s orders also completed the arrest warrant against the ex-governor of Veracruz, Javier Duarte de Ochoa.
Specifically in his position as Secretary of Security for the capital, just this week, an 18% reduction in intentional homicides in the capital and the incidence of various crimes had been reported.
During his tenure as head of the AIC of the PGR, a position he came to replace Tomas Zerón in November 2016, Harfuch implemented various operations in coordination with the armed forces to capture high-profile criminals.
These captures include that of Damaso López alias “El Licenciado”, one of the main commandos of the Sinaloa Cartel in May 2017. This arrest was made after an investigation by the AIC in which it was identified that López was trying to ally himself with the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), an alliance that represented a great risk to the country’s national security, according to the intelligence work carried out at that time.
The PGR police, also with Harfuch in charge, managed in October 2018 to capture David “N” alias El Pistaches, considered at the time the maximum leader of the criminal group “La Unión Tepito”, an organized crime gang that operates mainly in Mexico City and the metropolitan area.
Also with Harfuch in front, FGR agents were in charge of following up and finally complete the arrest warrant for the purpose of extradition of the ex-governor of Veracruz Javier Duarte, in April 2017. The police officers narrated at the time Political Animal all the covered work that was carried out to finalize said arrest.
On June 15, 2019, Harfuch was appointed by the Head of Government, Claudia Sheinbaum, as head of the CDMX Investigative Police, a position in which he held only a few months since on October 4 he was appointed as Secretary of Citizen Security for the capital.
During his tenure as head of the security forces in the capital, the current secretary has continued with multiple operations that have led to the capture of both members and operational leaders of the “Unión Tepito”, as well as antagonistic groups that also operate in the city as “Anti Unión Tepito” and “Tláhuac Cartel”.
Among those arrests are, for example, that of Juan Antonio alias “El Tony” considered leader of the Anti Union group in May 2019; or the capture of Óscar Andrés alias “El lunares” just on January 31, and who had inherited the command of “La Unión Tepito” after the capture of previous leaders.
Just this week, Harfuch had reported the arrest of more than 25 people in different operations in Mexico City in possession of weapons and drugs. Preliminary investigations suggest that these are cells possibly linked to CJNG.
Shielding against corruption
During his time in the federal and local police corporations, Harfuch has been characterized by operating with a close group of trust, especially for the implementation of intelligence actions and special operations. This in order to prevent the leak of information to corrupt agents in said institutions.
According to data from authorities close to the secretary, more than fifty agents related to possible acts of corruption and abuse of authority have been discharged in his time at the SSC in Mexico City alone, some of whom have have been criminally charged.
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