Japanese crime leader Takeshi Ebisawa has pleaded guilty in a U.S. court to trafficking weapons-grade nuclear materials, narcotics, and arms, with plans to supply Iran and other countries. His international network spanned multiple nations, with the seized materials confirmed as suitable for nuclear
US authorities charged the leader of a Japanese crime syndicate with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Myanmar, as well as narcotics and weapons to other countries.
Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, of Japan, pleaded guilty in Manhattan, New York, that uranium and weapons-grade plutonium he believed would be transferred to Iran to build a nuclear bomb, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
According to the evidence presented at court, since at least in or about 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated Ebisawa in connection with international network of criminal associates, which spanned Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and the United States, among other places, for the purpose of arranging narcotics and weapons transactions.
The military weaponry to be part of the arms taken from U.S. military bases in Afghanistan.
“As he admitted in federal court today, Takeshi Ebisawa brazenly trafficked nuclear material, including weapons-grade plutonium, out of Burma (current name – Myanmar),” said Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim for the Southern District of New York.
“At the same time, he worked to send massive quantities of heroin and methamphetamine to the United States in exchange for heavy-duty weaponry such as surface-to-air missiles to be used on battlefields in Burma and laundered what he believed to be drug money from New York to Tokyo.”
With the assistance of Thai authorities, the nuclear samples were seized and subsequently transferred to the custody of U.S. law enforcement.
A nuclear forensic laboratory in the United States examined the nuclear samples and determined that both samples contain detectable quantities of uranium, thorium, and plutonium. In particular, the laboratory determined that the isotope composition of the plutonium found in the nuclear samples is weapons-grade, meaning that the plutonium, if produced in sufficient quantities, would be suitable for use in a nuclear weapon.
Ebisawa faces life imprisonment if convicted of the charges.
Pakistan has offered to host talks between the U.S. and Iran to bring an end to the conflict, while Lebanon has ordered the Iranian Ambassador to l...
Türkiye is pursuing a cautious approach to the escalating Middle East conflict while maintaining regional ties, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğa...
Traders placed more than $500 million in oil bets minutes before Donald Trump announced a delay to planned strikes on Iran, ...
Pakistan has offered to host talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the Gulf conflict, as tensions remain high des...
Hezbollah has pledged to defend the region against Israeli forces, warning it will resist any move to occupy southern Lebanon, as Israel sets out p...
Colombia’s commerce minister, Diana Marcela Morales, has said she will propose raising tariffs on certain Ecuadorian goods from 30% to 50%, as a trade dispute between the neighbouring countries intensifies.
Venezuela has accused the U.S. of attempting to seize the country’s vast oil reserves through military force, in a move the government says could destabilise the global energy market.
Venezuela’s National Assembly has announced the formation of a special commission to investigate a series of deadly U.S. military strikes targeting suspected drug trafficking boats off the Venezuelan coast and in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport, authorities and U.S. media said.
Trump says U.S. found “major points of agreement” with Iran and has paused strikes on Iranian power plants, but Tehran denies any direct talks or negotiations, contradicting U.S. claims - latest on Middle East conflict.
Pakistan has offered to host talks between the U.S. and Iran to bring an end to the conflict, while Lebanon has ordered the Iranian Ambassador to leave the country. Meanwhile, oil prices continue rising as the fallout from the Middle East conflict continues.
Violent clashes broke out between police and opposition protesters in Tirana on Sunday (22 March) as demonstrators were demanding the resignation of the Albanian government following corruption allegations against the deputy prime minister.
FinaFinal results from Slovenia’s parliamentary elections indicate a near tie between the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) and the liberal Freedom Movement Slovenia (GS), leaving neither side with a clear path to power.
Eurozone private sector growth almost stalled this month, a key survey showed on Tuesday, adding to evidence that the bloc is already feeling economic fallout from the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran, with inflation rising and growth slowing.
China is raising domestic petrol and diesel prices under temporary measures to manage a sharp surge in global oil costs, aiming to support fuel suppliers while maintaining market stability during a period of heightened volatility.
Russia launched drones and missiles overnight on Tuesday at Ukraine, killing at least three people, damaging houses and triggering fires, Ukrainian officials said.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday (23 March) that Britain must plan for the possibility that the Iran war could continue for some time, and added that he had no "meaningful concerns" about energy supply.
Australia and the European Union signed a trade deal on Tuesday that was eight years in the making, removing tariffs for almost all European goods and for nearly all exports of Australian critical minerals.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment