According to a newly disclosed superseding indictment, the Justice Department has filed fresh accusations against the boss of the famed Japanese Yakuza gang, Takeshi Ebisawa, accusing him of attempting to export weapons-grade nuclear materials from Burma to other countries.
Prosecutors in Manhattan allege that beginning in early 2020, Takeshi Ebisawa conspired to transport uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, believing it could be utilized by countries like as Iran in the development of their nuclear weapons program.
“It is chilling to imagine the consequences had these efforts succeeded,” Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen said in a statement announcing the charges.
The 60-year-old Japanese national and another co-defendant were previously charged with drug trafficking in April 2022. Ebisawa and his co-defendant were arrested in Manhattan on those accusations, and a US judge in New York ordered both men imprisoned. Both guys pled not guilty.
Yakuza boss Takeshi Ebisawa allegedly informed an undercover agent he wanted to sell the items.
Undercover agents told of Yakuza boss’s claim: abundant radioactive materials for sale
According to their superseding indictment, Ebisawa told two undercover agents in early 2020 that he had access to a “large quantity” of radioactive materials that he wanted to sell. He also supplied a series of images of rocky substances adjacent to Geiger counters that detected radiation levels.
Yakuza boss Takeshi Ebisawa allegedly emailed an undercover agent images of radioactive material near a Geiger monitor.
Department of Justice
One of the undercover agents informed Ebisawa that they had an interested customer, who they claimed was an Iranian commander.
“They don’t need it for energy, the Iranian government needs it for nuclear weapons,” the undercover agent told Ebisawa, according to the indictment.
“I think so and I hope so,” Ebisawa allegedly responded.
Ebisawa’s ongoing talks with undercover agent on arms deal for Burmese rebels
Ebisawa continued to communicate with the undercover agent, who displayed an interest in purchasing further military-grade weapons, such as surface-to-air missiles, which he claimed could be used by a rebel group in Burma.
The arrangement resulted in a swap of sorts, with unnamed co-conspirators allegedly supporting Ebisawa telling the undercover they “had available more than 2,000 kilograms of Thorium-232 and more than 100 kilograms of uranium” – which the co-conspirators said “could produce as much as five tons of nuclear materials in Burma.”
Yakuza boss’s covert meeting reveals radioactive materials in Southeast Asia”
In a meeting planned by Ebisawa with the undercover agents in Southeast Asia, one of Ebisawa’s co-conspirators allegedly led the undercover into a hotel room and showed him two plastic containers containing samples of radioactive materials. Thai officials then cooperated in the seizure of the items, which were turned over to US law enforcement, who examined the samples and discovered they contained uranium, thorium, and plutonium.
“As alleged, the defendants, in this case, trafficked in drugs, weapons, and nuclear material – going so far as to offer uranium and weapons-grade plutonium fully expecting that Iran would use it for nuclear weapons,” Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration said. “This is an extraordinary example of the depravity of drug traffickers who operate with total disregard for human life.”