US: Japanese Yakuza Chief Accused of Bringing Nuclear Materials From Myanmar Into the Country

Washington, DC: According to a superseding indictment released on Wednesday, The Hill reported, US prosecutors have charged Takeshi Ebisawa, a leader of the Japanese organized crime syndicate Yakuza, with planning to traffic nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, from Myanmar to other nations.

Prosecution of the Yakuza
Takeshi Ebisawa and his friends in Thailand are accused of showing radioactive material samples to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent who was masquerading as a trafficker in guns and drugs, according to the authorities that filed the allegations against him, as reported by the Hill.

In a news statement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that US law enforcement had taken possession of the nuclear samples after US officials collaborated with Thai authorities to obtain them.

The DOJ said that a US nuclear forensic lab verified the samples had weapons-grade plutonium and uranium.

Previously Accused of Trafficking in International Narcotics
Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, and co-defendant Somphop Singhasiri, 61, were both ordered to be jailed after being charged in April 2022 with felonies related to international drug trafficking and guns.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York said, “As alleged, the defendant brazenly trafficked material containing uranium and weapons-grade plutonium from Burma to other countries.”

Yakuza’s Illicit Activities
Federal prosecutors emphasized the gravity of the accusations made against a top member of the Yakuza, a global criminal organization with operations in many nations.

The indictment claims that among other areas, “Ebisawa’s international criminal network extends through Asia, Europe, and the United States. His criminal activities have included large-scale narcotics and weapons trafficking.”

He did this while negotiating the acquisition of lethal weapons and harboring the belief that the material would be utilized in the creation of a nuclear weapons program. It is hard to exaggerate how grave this behavior is. I would want to express my gratitude to our law enforcement partners and the professional prosecutors in my office for making sure that the offender will now be tried in an American court.

Statement From US Attorney
It is “impossible to overstate the seriousness of the conduct alleged in today’s Indictment,” according to a statement from US Attorney Damian Williams.
Williams said that Ebisawa “negotiated for the purchase of deadly weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, even as he allegedly attempted to sell nuclear materials.”

Nuclear Material Sales
The undercover DEA agent consented, according to the accusation, to mediate the transfer of the nuclear materials from Ebisawa to a colleague who was acting in the capacity of an Iranian commander.

Along with Ebisawa, there is another defendant who was also charged in 2022 with weapons charges and international drug trafficking. On Thursday afternoon, the two will appear before a court to be charged.

Statement From The DEA Administrator
The defendants reportedly supplied the nuclear material “fully expecting that Iran would use it for nuclear weapons,” according to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

In a statement, Milgram added, “This is an astounding example of the depravity of drug traffickers who operate with total disregard for human life.”

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said, “The defendant stands accused of conspiring to sell weapons grade nuclear material and lethal narcotics from Burma, and to purchase military weaponry on behalf of an armed insurgent group.” The Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news statement that “it is chilling to imagine the consequences had these efforts succeeded and the Justice Department will hold accountable those who traffic in these materials and threaten US national security and international stability.”

Olsen said that Ebisawa was planning to “buy military weaponry on behalf of an armed insurgent group” in addition to selling the nuclear material from Myanmar.