NEW YORK, March 4, (V7N) - Takeshi Ebisawa, a 61-year-old member of Japan's notorious yakuza crime syndicate, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a New York court after being convicted on charges of trafficking nuclear material, drugs, and weapons.

Ebisawa has been incarcerated since April 2022, along with his Thai co-defendant Somphop Singhasiri, following a multi-year investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

In February 2024, Ebisawa was charged with attempting to sell military-grade nuclear material, including weapons-grade plutonium, alongside narcotics such as heroin and methamphetamine. The transaction was reportedly intended to fund the purchase of surface-to-air missiles for armed groups in Myanmar.

Ebisawa pleaded guilty to six charges in January 2025, including his attempt to sell the nuclear material to Iran, as well as trafficking dangerous narcotics into New York.

“This conviction sends a strong message that we will hold accountable those who traffic in weapons-grade nuclear materials and flood our streets with deadly narcotics,” said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “Takeshi Ebisawa's actions jeopardized global security, and today, justice has been served.”
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