Japanese Trafficker Jailed for Nuclear Materials & Money Laundering Plot

Takeshi Ebisawa, a Japanese national, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in the United States for his role in an international criminal conspiracy involving nuclear materials trafficking, narcotics distribution, firearms dealing and money laundering. The sentencing was handed down by US District Judge Colleen McMahon in the Southern District of New York after Ebisawa pleaded guilty to six charges related to the scheme.

The case centred on an extensive criminal network spanning Asia, Europe and the United States. According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), Ebisawa attempted to broker the sale of uranium, thorium and weapons grade plutonium sourced from Burma to buyers posing as representatives of Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. The negotiations were conducted with an undercover agent from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who had infiltrated Ebisawa’s network while posing as an international weapons and narcotics trafficker.

Authorities said the defendant proposed supplying plutonium to Iran, describing it as more powerful than uranium for nuclear weapons development. In February 2022, Ebisawa and associates met the undercover operative in Thailand and provided samples of nuclear material. With assistance from Thai authorities, the materials were seized and analysed by a US nuclear forensic laboratory, which confirmed the presence of uranium, thorium and weapons grade plutonium.

Alongside the attempted nuclear trafficking, the investigation uncovered multiple narcotics and weapons transactions. Ebisawa sought to exchange large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin for military grade weapons, including surface to air missiles, anti tank rockets, machine guns and automatic rifles intended for insurgent groups operating in Burma. The narcotics were intended for distribution in New York.

Evidence presented by prosecutors showed that co conspirators supplied drug samples in Thailand with methamphetamine purity reaching approximately 98 percent and heroin purity between 86 and 87 percent. Separate negotiations involved a planned shipment of around 500 kilograms of methamphetamine and 500 kilograms of heroin destined for the United States.

The investigation also identified a money laundering component. In November 2021, Ebisawa agreed to move what he believed were narcotics proceeds from the United States to Japan in exchange for a 15 percent commission. Undercover agents transferred $100,000 to accounts controlled by an associate, after which Ebisawa delivered the equivalent of about $85,000 in cash in Tokyo.

The investigation was led by the DEA Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit with support from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) and multiple international law enforcement partners. DEA offices in Tokyo, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Jakarta, Copenhagen, New York and New Delhi contributed to the operation, alongside authorities in Denmark, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand.

In addition to the 20 year prison sentence, Ebisawa, aged 61, was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following completion of his custodial term. The prosecution was handled by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York with assistance from the National Security Division of the DoJ.

Read the press release here.