Thu Jan 09 03:59:18 UTC 2025: ## Yakuza Boss Pleads Guilty to Nuclear Material Trafficking, Faces Life in Prison
**New York, NY** – Takeshi Ebisawa, a 60-year-old member of the Japanese yakuza, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to six federal charges related to a complex international smuggling operation involving nuclear materials, weapons, and drugs. The plea, entered in a Manhattan court, could result in a life sentence for Ebisawa, who faces sentencing on April 9th.
According to the US Department of Justice, Ebisawa conspired to sell thorium and uranium from Myanmar to an individual posing as an Iranian general. He later offered to provide plutonium, a far more potent material for nuclear weapons production. Laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of uranium, thorium, and plutonium in a sample provided by Ebisawa’s associates.
The charges also include conspiring to supply surface-to-air missiles and heavy weaponry to various ethnic armed organizations in Myanmar, with payment partially involving large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine.
The investigation, a joint effort involving law enforcement agencies in the US, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand, culminated in Ebisawa’s arrest and subsequent prosecution. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G Olsen emphasized the gravity of the offenses, stating that the Department of Justice will pursue maximum penalties against those who jeopardize national security through such activities. Ebisawa’s previous charges in 2022 involved international drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
First Piper 