Ricardo "Ricky" Sandoval is a former US Marine, and undercover DEA Special Agent who infiltrated the Santa Blanca drug cartel over a 7-year period. He eventually became its head of finances. Karen Bowman was his case officer as he started working with the Kataris 26 rebels. During his time in Bolivia, he fell in love, married, and had a child with Monica. He was then tortured for 47 hours and executed, causing the American government to move the Santa Blanca cartel to terrorist movement status, and sent in a Ghost Recon team working with Agent Bowman team to destabilize it.