Edward Y. Kim, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Takeshi Ebisawa has pled guilty in Manhattan federal court to charges including nuclear materials trafficking, narcotics distribution, and weapons offenses. The charges stem from activities involving uranium and weapons-grade plutonium from Burma and a network spanning several countries.
Ebisawa's guilty plea was made before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. "As he admitted in federal court today, Takeshi Ebisawa brazenly trafficked nuclear material," stated Kim. He added that Ebisawa attempted to exchange heroin and methamphetamine for weaponry like surface-to-air missiles intended for use in Burma.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen emphasized the seriousness of the charges: "Today’s plea should serve as a stark reminder to those who imperil our national security." DEA Administrator Anne Milgram highlighted the scope of the investigation: “This case demonstrates DEA’s unparalleled ability to dismantle the world’s most dangerous criminal networks."
The investigation revealed that since 2019, Ebisawa engaged with an undercover DEA agent posing as a trafficker to arrange large-scale transactions involving narcotics and weapons across Japan, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and the U.S. Ebisawa also attempted to broker sales of heavy-duty weaponry sourced from U.S. military bases in Afghanistan.
In addition to narcotics trafficking aimed at the New York market, Ebisawa conspired to sell 500 kilograms each of methamphetamine and heroin. He also sought to launder $100,000 from drug proceeds between the U.S. and Japan.
The investigation uncovered Ebisawa's plans to sell nuclear materials like thorium and uranium for use in a nuclear weapons program by an individual posing as an Iranian general. During meetings facilitated by undercover agents in Southeast Asia, samples labeled as "yellowcake" were seized with Thai authorities' assistance.
The seized samples were found to contain detectable quantities of uranium, thorium, and weapons-grade plutonium upon examination by a U.S.-based nuclear forensic laboratory.
Ebisawa faces multiple counts with varying penalties ranging up to life imprisonment for conspiracy and trafficking offenses related to nuclear materials, narcotics importation, firearms possession, and money laundering.
Mr. Kim commended various DEA offices worldwide for their contributions alongside law enforcement partners from Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand.
The prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation aiming at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through coordinated multi-agency efforts.