Japanese Yakuza Leader Charged with Trafficking Nuclear Materials

Japanese Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa has been charged with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Burma to other countries, including offering uranium and weapons-grade plutonium to an undercover DEA agent posing as an Iranian general for use in a nuclear weapons program. Ebisawa also sought to purchase military-grade weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, on behalf of an armed insurgent group in Burma. The charges include international trafficking of nuclear materials, narcotics importation conspiracy, conspiracy to possess firearms, and money laundering, with potential prison terms ranging from 10 years to life. The U.S. Attorney and Justice Department officials emphasized the seriousness of the allegations and the threat to national security posed by such criminal activities.