Takeshi Ebisawa
Takeshi Ebisawa | |
|---|---|
| 海老沢武 | |
| Born | 1964 (age 61–62) Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan |
| Organization | Yamaguchi-gumi |
Takeshi Ebisawa (海老沢武; born c.1964), also reported as Tsuyoshi Ebisawa (海老沢剛), is the purported leader of a transnational Japanese crime syndicate, known as the yakuza. He gained international notoriety following his arrest and subsequent guilty plea to charges involving the trafficking of nuclear materials, narcotics, and weapons. On 8 January 2025, he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to sell nuclear materials to Iran, along with involvement in drug trafficking and weapons offenses.[1][2]
Criminal activities and arrest
[edit]Since at least 2019, Ebisawa was under investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for large-scale narcotics and weapons trafficking.[3] Unbeknownst to him, he engaged with an undercover DEA agent posing as a trafficker, to whom he introduced his international network of criminal associates. Ebisawa conspired to broker the purchase of U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles and other heavy weaponry intended for ethnic armed groups in Myanmar.[4] As partial payment for these weapons, he planned to distribute large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine in the United States, specifically targeting the New York market.[3]
In early 2020, Ebisawa informed undercover agents of his access to substantial quantities of nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, which he intended to sell. He provided photographs depicting substances with Geiger counters measuring radiation and lab analyses indicating the presence of thorium and uranium. These materials were sourced from Myanmar, with the expectation that they would be used in the development of nuclear weapons.[5]
Ebisawa was arrested in April 2022 in Manhattan during a DEA sting operation. He was charged with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials, narcotics, and weapons. On 8 January 2025, he pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to charges of conspiring to sell nuclear materials from Myanmar to Iran, as well as being involved in drug trafficking and weapons-related crimes, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and the possibility of life imprisonment.[6][7][8][9] Ebisawa was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on 3 March 2026.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Leader of Japanese crime syndicate pleads guilty to conspiring to traffic nuclear materials to Iran". AP. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Yakuza boss pleads guilty to attempted nuclear trafficking to Iran". Iranintl. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Office of Public Affairs | Japanese Yakuza Leader Pleads Guilty to Nuclear Materials Trafficking, Narcotics, and Weapons Charges | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ DEA Complaint and Grand Jury Indictment against Ebisawa Note: Two of the armed groups specifically named are Karen National Union and Shan State Army (it is unknown whether it was Shan State Army – North or Shan State Army - South)
- ^ McCurry, Justin (22 February 2024). "Boss of Japan crime syndicate conspired to traffic nuclear material, say US prosecutors". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Japanese yakuza leader pleads guilty to trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 9 January 2025. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ Ganglani, Jay (9 January 2025). "Alleged Yakuza leader admits trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar". CNN. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Japanese crime boss admits to conspiring to sell nuclear material to Iran". Aljazeera. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "日本の暴力団幹部、イランへの核物質輸送の共謀で有罪を認める". Arab News (in Japanese).
- ^ "核物質密輸の邦人に禁錮２０年 米、ミャンマー組織と共謀 | 高知新聞". Kochi News (in Japanese). 3 March 2026.