A Japanese yakuza leader, Takeshi Ebisawa, has admitted to conspiring to sell nuclear materials from Myanmar to Iran, alongside charges of drug trafficking and arms dealing, U.S. authorities announced.
Ebisawa, 60, pleaded guilty to six counts in a Manhattan federal court on Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that the charges include attempting to broker the sale of nuclear materials to a person posing as an Iranian general.
Prosecutors revealed that in 2020, Ebisawa told an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent and a source about his possession of large quantities of thorium and uranium. He sought assistance in selling these materials for nuclear weapons production.
During their exchanges, Ebisawa offered to supply plutonium, claiming it was a superior and more powerful material for nuclear arms compared to uranium.
Ebisawa faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9, 2025
The case underscores the threat of nuclear materials falling into the wrong hands and highlights global concerns over potential proliferation risks involving rogue actors and criminal organizations. The cooperation between U.S. authorities and international counterparts, including undercover operatives, was instrumental in dismantling the scheme.
