Yakuza Leader Takeshi Ebisawa Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Weapons-Grade Plutonium from Myanmar, Faces 20 Years

Jan 9, 2025, 12:20 AM

Takeshi Ebisawa, a leader of the Japanese yakuza crime syndicate, has pleaded guilty in a New York federal court to conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Myanmar to other countries, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium. Ebisawa also admitted to working with associates from Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the United States to traffic drugs and weapons. The nuclear materials were intended to fund an illicit arms deal, which included the purchase of military weaponry such as surface-to-air missiles for use in Myanmar. Ebisawa faces up to 20 years in prison for the nuclear materials trafficking charges.