A New York court has sentenced Takeshi Ebisawa, a 61-year-old member of Japan's yakuza crime syndicate, to 20 years in prison. He was convicted of trafficking nuclear material, alongside drugs and weapons.
Ebisawa, who has been in custody since April 2022, was accused in February 2024 of attempting to sell military-grade nuclear material, heroin, and methamphetamine. Prosecutors stated the intent was to acquire weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, for armed groups in Myanmar.
Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg highlighted Ebisawa's accountability for crimes including an attempt to sell weapons-grade plutonium to Iran and distributing narcotics in New York.