TL/DR –
US prosecutors have charged Takeshi Ebisawa, an alleged senior Yakuza member, with conspiracy to traffic nuclear materials. Ebisawa is accused of attempting to sell uranium and plutonium he believed were intended for the creation of a nuclear bomb in Iran. The US Department of Justice claims Ebisawa and his associates showed samples of these nuclear materials in Thailand to an undercover US Drug Enforcement Agency agent posing as a drugs and weapons trafficker with connections to an Iranian general.
US Prosecutors Charge Alleged Japanese Mafia Member with Nuclear Materials Trafficking
Alleged Yakuza member Takeshi Ebisawa has been charged by US prosecutors with conspiracy to traffic nuclear materials. It’s believed he tried to sell uranium and plutonium for use in an Iranian nuclear bomb.
Previously, Ebisawa and a Thai co-defendant were hit with weapons and drug charges in April 2022. If convicted of the latest charges, he faces life imprisonment.
US authorities assert that Ebisawa is a top figure in the Japanese organized crime syndicate, the Yakuza, with operations spanning Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and the US.
According to the US Department of Justice, Ebisawa and his associates demonstrated samples of nuclear materials in Thailand to an undercover agent from the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The agent was disguised as a drugs and weapons trafficker linked to an Iranian general.
The nuclear samples seized by Thai authorities and handed to US investigators were confirmed to contain uranium and weapons-grade plutonium.
Prosecutors also claim that Ebisawa sought to procure large volumes of military-grade weapons for an unnamed rebel group in Myanmar, including surface-to-air missiles, assault and sniper rifles, and various calibre rockets.
In February 2020, Ebisawa allegedly approached the DEA agent about selling nuclear materials, cautioning via encrypted communications that uranium is “not good for your health”.
Prosecutors also allege he offered to sell 50 tonnes of uranium and thorium for £5.4m and sent photos depicting “a dark rocky material” with a Geiger counter to measure radiation levels.
Charges against Ebisawa include conspiracy to commit international trafficking of nuclear materials, narcotics importation conspiracy, conspiracy to acquire, transfer and possess anti-aircraft missiles, and money laundering.
His co-conspirator, 61-year-old Thai national Somphop Singhasiri, faces drug and weapon charges. Both are due to be arraigned in a New York federal courtroom.
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