Yakuza leader admits to global plot to traffic nuclear material, narcotics, and weapons through New York City

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, of Japan admitted to his involvement in a money laundering operation linked to international drug trafficking and arms deals, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. They announced that Ebisawa pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday to leading the operation, which involved uranium, plutonium, heroin, methamphetamine, and U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) referred Ebisawa as a Yakuza leader. They described the Yakuza as a 300-year-old Japanese crime syndicate involved in gambling, smuggling, and loan-sharking, known to use organized violence to influence business and politics.

Prosecutors detailed Ebisawa's global network crisscrossing Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Denmark, and the U.S., dating back to at least 2019. When sentenced, he faces life sentences on multiple charges, with mandatory minimums of 10 years.

He admitted to six charges, including international trafficking of nuclear materials, importing narcotics, conspiracy, and money laundering. In 2020, he started offering nuclear materials—uranium and plutonium—to undercover Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Special Agent Thomas McLaughlin, referred to as UC-1 by the DOJ. Ebisawa sent photos, lab results, and Geiger readings to prove their radioactivity.

Ebisawa allegedly wanted to sell these materials to another undercover operative pretending to be an Iranian general who was putting together a nuclear weapons program. In one video call, one of Ebisawa's associates claimed to have over two tons of thorium and over 220 pounds of uranium. For reference, the Little Boy atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima contained about 141 pounds of enriched uranium. Samples seized by law enforcement did test positive for weapons-grade plutonium, uranium, and thorium.

As an arms dealer, one of Ebisawa's splashiest charges—and guilty pleas—was conspiracy to possess firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices. He negotiated to trade meth and heroin for anti-tank rockets, machine guns, and Stinger missiles meant for Myanmar's civil war, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

By the summer of 2021, Ebisawa was working to finalize the weapons deal, including figuring out the logistics of building an airstrip in Myanmar. Where else would cargo planes full of U.S.-made artillery to arm insurgents in Myanmar be able to land?

As a drug trafficker, Ebisawa negotiated heroin and methamphetamine deals intended for New York's black market. In October 2021, UC-1 contacted him to broker a $100,000 transfer for about 220 pounds of narcotics from Mexico to Japan. They discussed the details in multiple recorded phone calls, according to the DOJ.

Ebisawa agreed to facilitate the transaction for a commission and arranged to pick up cash in New York for delivery to Japan. In mid-November, 2021, Ebisawa’s associate—referred to as “Beam” by the DOJ—allegedly asked to contact the person in New York who would handle the money.

UC-1 put Beam in touch with another confidential source—referred to as CS-3—a convict cooperating undercover with law enforcement. The DEA tracked the $100,000 through CS-3's deposit into U.S. bank accounts controlled by Beam.

Ebisawa coordinated with yet another confidential source in Japan—referred to as CS-4—undercover as a trafficker. In late November 2021, Ebisawa met CS-4 in Tokyo and paid about $85,000 in yen.

UC-1 confirmed the transaction on a recorded phone line, but law enforcement also watched the meeting and saw the hand off. In written testimony, UC-1 said that Ebisawa likely kept around $15,086 of the $100,000 as commission.