"The illicit trafficking of nuclear materials is an existential threat to every New Yorker and every American, said US attorney Jay Clayton. Ebisawa tried to sell uranium, thorium, and plutonium to fuel a purported nuclear weapons program, along with deadly drugs destined for US streets. In exchange, Ebisawa hoped to procure battlefield weapons for insurgent groups and profit for himself."
"Ebisawa, 62, pleaded guilty to six counts of conspiracy to traffic nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, from Myanmar to other countries, as well as his participation in international narcotics trafficking, weapons and money laundering."
"According to prosecutors, Ebisawa had arranged to sell an undercover DEA agent large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine from Myanmar's rebel United Wa state army, and then sought to buy automatic weapons, rockets, machine guns and surface-to-air missiles, some taken from US military bases in Afghanistan."
Takeshi Ebisawa, a 62-year-old Japanese organized crime leader, received a 20-year prison sentence for his role in a complex transnational criminal conspiracy. Operating since at least 2019, Ebisawa coordinated with three Thai associates to traffic nuclear materials including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium from Myanmar to other countries, particularly targeting Iran's nuclear weapons program. Simultaneously, he arranged large-scale heroin and methamphetamine shipments from Myanmar's United Wa state army to US markets and sought to purchase military weapons including automatic rifles, rockets, machine guns, and surface-to-air missiles sourced from Afghanistan. These weapons were intended for various insurgent groups including Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and multiple Myanmar-based organizations. US prosecutors emphasized that nuclear material trafficking represents an existential threat to national security.
#nuclear-materials-trafficking #organized-crime #international-drug-trafficking #weapons-smuggling #national-security-threat
Read at www.theguardian.com
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