Yakuza leader charged for trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar: US

A leader of the Japanese organized crime syndicate Yakuza, identified as Takeshi Ebisawa, has been charged by US prosecutors with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials including uranium and weapons-grade Plutonium from Myanmar to other countries, according to a superseding indictment announced Wednesday, The Hill reported.

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Authorities said they brought the charges against Takeshi Ebisawa after he and other associates in Thailand allegedly showed samples of nuclear material to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent posing as a narcotics and weapons trafficker, the Hill reported.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a press release that the US worked with Thai authorities to seize the nuclear samples, which were subsequently transferred to US law enforcement custody.

A US nuclear forensic lab confirmed the samples contained uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, according to the DOJ.

According to court documents, Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, and co-defendant Somphop Singhasiri, 61, were previously charged in April 2022 with international narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses, and both have been ordered detained.