US Accuses Yakuza Leader Of Trafficking Nuclear Material To Iran

A Japanese leader of the notorious crime syndicate – the yakuza – has been charged by US prosecutors of looking to sell high grade uranium and plutonium to Iran.

According to an AP report Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, and his confederates showed samples of nuclear materials that had been transported from Myanmar to Thailand to an undercover officer working for the US Drug and Enforcement Administration (DEA).

US Attorney Damian Williams said Ebisawa “brazenly” trafficked the material from Myanmar to other countries.

“He allegedly did so while believing that the material was going to be used in the development of a nuclear weapons program, and the weapons-grade plutonium he trafficked, if produced in sufficient quantities, could have been used for that purpose,” Williams said.

Ebisawa is believed to have been the middleman for the leader of an insurgent group in Myanmar. According to the Washington Post he had got in touch with the undercover DEA officer in this regard in 2021. In return, the report claimed that he had asked for $6.85 million to procure surface-to-air missiles, M60 machine guns and AK-47 rifles.

A meetup was arranged in Thailand following which Ebisawa and four of his co-conspirators were arrested and jailed in April 2022. His trial began on Thursday, and he is facing eight criminal counts that could result in a life sentence.

Lawyers for Ebisawa have so far not responded for comment, nor have they made any public statement so far.