Federal prosecutors in the U.S. brought new charges against a Japanese man suspected to be a leader of the Yakuza transnational crime syndicate. They filed a superseding indictment against Takeshi Ebisawa, alleging he conspired to traffic uranium and weapons-grade plutonium. Most recently, he is charged with conspiracy to commit international trafficking of nuclear materials, and international trafficking of nuclear materials, which carry maximum prison sentences of 20 and 10 years respectively. According to the indictment, Mr. Ebisawa contacted undercover DEA agents offering to sell nuclear materials, which he believed were to be used in the development of a nuclear weapons program.
He had also allegedly conspired to supply weapons to rebel factions in Burma, where there is an ongoing civil war. Mr. Ebisawa is said to have been interested in selling the materials to an undercover agent posing as an Iranian general and had hoped to supply “plutonium,” which he claimed to be a “better” and more “powerful” option for Iran’s interests.
The indictment specifies that Mr. Ebisawa was hoping to arrange a weapons-for-nuclear-materials deal. The indictment says that Mr. Ebisawa had samples of nuclear materials sent to the office space of his affiliates in Bangkok and that after his arrest, Thai authorities seized these materials and passed them along to U.S. authorities. The samples were found to contain weapons-grade nuclear materials which added to the indictments against Ebisawa.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “As alleged, the defendant brazenly trafficked material containing uranium and weapons-grade plutonium from Burma to other countries. He did so while believing that the material was going to be used in the development of a nuclear weapons program, and while also negotiating for the purchase of deadly weapons. It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of this conduct.” Attorneys representing Ebisawa did not respond to NTD News queries for comments.