Yakuza Boss Trying to Sell Weapons-Grade Nuclear Material Caught by US DEA While Posing as 'Trader'

Myanmar Rebel Group Caught Trying to Sell Nuclear Material Abroad
Nuclear Material Sample Analysis Reveals Weapons-Grade Plutonium Detected

U.S. judicial authorities have brought to trial a Japanese Yakuza boss on charges of attempting to smuggle nuclear materials possessed by Myanmar's rebel groups to a third country.

On the 21st (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had indicted Yakuza boss Takeshi Ebisawa (60) and two accomplices, including a Thai national, on charges of trafficking nuclear materials, weapons, and drugs. According to the indictment, between 2020 and 2022, Ebisawa attempted to sell nuclear materials on behalf of Myanmar's rebel groups to other countries and planned to use the proceeds to purchase large quantities of weapons such as portable surface-to-air missiles, mortars, sniper rifles, rifles, and rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs) for the rebel groups.

On the 21st (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it has indicted Japanese Yakuza boss Takeshi Ebisawa on charges including nuclear material and weapons and drug trafficking. The photo shows a sample of nuclear material obtained from Ebisawa by the investigation team.
Photo by Yonhap News

Ebisawa and his group were caught by an undercover team from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), posing as arms dealers attempting to purchase nuclear materials for an Iranian general. In 2022, Ebisawa and his accomplices met the investigation team in Thailand carrying nuclear material samples. At that time, he was reportedly known to introduce himself as a 'Yakuza boss' in Thailand. Ebisawa claimed that the Myanmar rebel groups possessed more than 2,000 kg of Thorium-232 and over 100 kg of U308, a uranium powder commonly known as 'yellowcake.'

Just before his arrest, he boasted to those around him, saying, "A big sum of money is coming from the U.S.," and "If successful, I will retire and live in Thailand until I die." Due to this, Western media identified Ebisawa as a 'Yakuza boss,' but the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that no links between him and Japanese organized crime groups have been confirmed so far.

The U.S. investigation team seized and analyzed the nuclear material samples, detecting uranium, thorium, and plutonium. Among these, the Department of Justice stated that the plutonium was determined to be weapons-grade, capable of being used to manufacture nuclear weapons if a sufficient quantity were secured. Matthew Olsen, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice, said in a statement, "The defendants are charged with conspiring to sell weapons-grade nuclear materials and deadly drugs and to purchase military weapons on behalf of Myanmar's armed rebel groups," adding, "We will hold them accountable for smuggling these substances (drugs and nuclear materials) to threaten U.S. national security and international stability." He further stated, "Just imagining what could have happened if the defendants had succeeded sends chills down the spine."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.