Yakuza boss tried to sell nuclear materials to Iran – US DOJ — RT World News
Investigators said a Japanese national sought to smuggle uranium and plutonium from Myanmar
US federal prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled an indictment against Takeshi Ebisawa, alleging he is the leader of a Japanese organized crime ring who offered to sell weapons-grade nuclear material to Iran.
Ebisawa, 60, had already been charged by the United States with drug and weapons trafficking in April 2022. He is expected to face a US judge on Thursday, along with his alleged accomplice, 61-year-old Somphun Singasiri.
According to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, Ebisawa A “Leader of the Yakuza transnational organized crime gang” He contacted a person believed to be an Iranian general in early 2020, and offered to sell him nuclear weapons components. In return, he sought to purchase weapons in return “Ethnic rebel group” In Myanmar.
However, the Iranian general was actually an undercover agent for the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). According to DEA Director Anne Milgram, Ebisawa offered to sell him “Weapons-grade uranium and plutonium are fully expected to be used by Iran to make nuclear weapons.”
During a video conference in February 2022, one of Ebisawa's co-conspirators said they had more than two tons of thorium-232 and more than 100 kilograms of thorium. “yellow cake” Uranium and they can produce up to five tons of nuclear material in Myanmar.
About a week later, Ebisawa and two others met with a DEA agent and briefed him “Two plastic containers, each containing a yellow powdery substance…described as ‘yellowcake’.” The indictment said. Prosecutors showed the tagged photos “nuclear samples” Taken by a DEA agent.
Thai authorities confiscated the samples and sent them to the United States for analysis, which determined this “Both samples contain detectable amounts of uranium, thorium and plutonium.” The US Department of Justice said the latter was a weapon.
If convicted, Ebisawa faces up to 30 years in prison on the nuclear trafficking and conspiracy charges, but life in prison on the drug trafficking and drug trafficking conspiracy charges. “Conspiracy to possess firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices.”
DEA offices in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Denmark and India also participated in the investigation of the case, along with the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs and the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division. The United States thanked Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand for their cooperation with the prosecution.
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