Wilder Emilio Sanchez Farfan, known as Gato, has pleaded guilty to international drug trafficking charges in a federal court. Farfan, an Ecuadorian national and high-level drug trafficker, was extradited to San Diego on January 26, 2024.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had previously designated Farfan under Executive Order 14059 for his role in aiding major Mexican cartels in trafficking cocaine into the United States.
Farfan's plea came in response to a second superseding indictment from October 30, 2019. He admitted to leading a large-scale drug trafficking organization that distributed over 450 kilograms of cocaine across Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and other locations. The cocaine was then imported into and distributed within the United States. Farfan also confessed that his organization bribed government officials and used firearms to support their activities.
As part of his plea agreement, Farfan will forfeit over $899,000 in U.S. currency.
Farfan is set to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez on August 11, 2025.
This case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. This initiative allows agents from various agencies to work together on operations aimed at dismantling significant drug traffickers and criminal organizations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle B. Martin and Ashley E. Goff are prosecuting this case.
