SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A high-level Ecuadorian drug trafficker with ties to major Mexican cartels pleaded guilty in a San Diego federal courtroom Thursday to international drug trafficking charges, federal prosecutors announced.
Wilder Emilio Sanchez Farfan, known by the alias “Gato,” was extradited to the U.S. from Ecuador on Jan. 26, 2024. Authorities say Farfan led a vast transnational criminal network responsible for smuggling hundreds of kilograms of cocaine across South America and into the United States.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Farfan, 44, admitted in his plea agreement that his organization distributed more than 450 kilograms of cocaine throughout Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and other countries. The drugs were ultimately trafficked into the U.S. for distribution.
Federal officials say Farfan’s drug empire relied on bribery and violence, including the use of firearms and corruption of government officials, to protect and expand its operations.
Farfan’s name had already drawn attention from U.S. authorities prior to his arrest. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had sanctioned him under Executive Order 14059 for contributing to the illicit activities of Mexican drug cartels.
As part of his plea deal, Farfan agreed to forfeit over $899,000 in U.S. currency. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez.
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