Federal prosecutors file charges against notorious Yakuza leader for allegedly plotting to traffic nuclear materials

By richardbrown // 2024-02-23

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Federal prosecutors in New York have filed charges against Takeshi Ebisawa, a 60-year-old Japanese man alleged to be a senior leader within the Yakuza in Japan, for allegedly plotting to traffic nuclear materials. The allegation stems from an incident in April 2022 in Thailand when Ebisawa and co-defendant Thai national Somphop Singhasiri, presented samples of nuclear materials to an undercover agent of the United States' Drug Enforcement Administration. The undercover agent, who was posing as a high-stakes narcotics and weapons trafficker with purported connections to an Iranian general, managed to gather critical evidence that shows Ebisawa and Singhasiri wanted to traffic the nuclear materials into the hands of the Iranian military, who would ultimately use them in the construction of a nuclear weapon. (Related: Ray McGovern: NEOCONS and WARMONGERS in Biden admin are pushing U.S. into war with Iran.) The undercover agent, in collaboration with Thai authorities, seized the nuclear samples and handed them and Ebisawa over to U.S. law enforcement. Further intensifying the gravity of the situation, a subsequent analysis conducted by a U.S. nuclear forensic laboratory confirmed the presence of uranium and weapons-grade plutonium in the seized samples. This revelation underscored the potential severity of the Yakuza-led trafficking scheme. The superseding indictment against Ebisawa details an alarming email sent by the alleged Yakuza leader in September 2020. Disguised as correspondence from a mining company, the email offered to sell a staggering 50 metric tons of uranium and thorium for $6.85 million. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams underscored the severity of the charges, emphasizing that Ebisawa not only recklessly trafficked nuclear material but also operated with the firm belief that it would contribute to the development of a nuclear weapons program. Williams disclosed that, in addition to attempting to sell nuclear materials, Ebisawa concurrently engaged in negotiations for the procurement of highly lethal weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, machine guns, Kalashnikovs and armor-piercing ammunition.

Ebisawa head of an international Yakuza network

The charges against Ebisawa include conspiracy to commit international trafficking of nuclear materials, trafficking of nuclear materials, narcotics importation conspiracy, conspiracy related to the procurement of surface-to-air missiles, conspiracy to possess firearms and money laundering. A conviction would land Ebisawa a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. Singhasiri, who was previously charged in April 2022 with international narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses, is also set to face new charges. "It is chilling to imagine the consequences had these efforts succeeded and the Justice Department will hold accountable those who traffic in these materials and threaten U.S. national security and international stability," noted Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division. Information about Ebisawa's life is very limited as not much has been made public. All the indictment claims is that Ebisawa is a leader within the Yakuza, which is described as a "highly organized, transnational Japanese criminal network that operates around the world." "Ebisawa's criminal activities have included large-scale narcotics and weapons trafficking, and his international criminal network extends through Asia, Europe and the United States, among other places," reads the indictment. Watch this video of author and political commentator Scott Ritter warning that Iran is planning to attack Israel with nuclear weapons. This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

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Ebisawa head of an international Yakuza network

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