Mexico’s top security official helped bring down one of the world’s most feared drug lords. The victory came at a price that still defines how he lives.
For nearly six years, Omar Garcia Harfuch has slept inside fortified government buildings, moving through guarded corridors and bulletproof doors. His home is a one-bedroom apartment tucked inside Mexico’s Security Ministry complex, where the sound of gunfire from an indoor firing range sometimes echoes through the walls.
The 44-year-old security chief rarely leaves the compound except for official duties. On his desk sits a red telephone that connects directly to Claudia Sheinbaum, the president who has entrusted him with leading Mexico’s escalating war against organized crime.
For Harfuch, the mission is deeply personal.
A war that came to his doorstep
