A member of Japan’s notorious yakuza crime syndicate has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a New York court after being convicted of trafficking nuclear material, drugs, and weapons.
Takeshi Ebisawa, 61, has been in custody since April 2022 on drug and weapons charges alongside his Thai co-defendant, Somphop Singhasiri, following a lengthy investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
In February 2024, Ebisawa was also charged with attempting to sell military-grade nuclear material, as well as narcotics including heroin and methamphetamine, to purchase weapons such as surface-to-air missiles for armed groups in Myanmar.
He pleaded guilty to six charges in January 2025.
“Takeshi Ebisawa has been held accountable for his crimes, including an attempt to sell weapons-grade plutonium to Iran and to flood New York with deadly narcotics,” said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
The sentencing marks the culmination of a high-profile case highlighting international criminal networks involved in nuclear, narcotics, and arms trafficking.
