Yakuza Leader Confesses to Attempting to Sell Nuclear Materials to the Islamic Republic

The leader of a Japanese Yakuza crime group confessed to conspiracy charges involving the transport of uranium and plutonium for potential use by the Islamic Republic of Iran in the production of nuclear weapons. Takashi Ebizawa, 60, admitted to charges of arms and drug trafficking during a federal court hearing in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday, January 9. His final sentence, which could range from 10 years to life imprisonment, is set to be issued on April 8, 2025. According to prosecutors, a confidential source from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) connected with Ebizawa in 2020 and 2021 under the guise of a senior Iranian military official. This Japanese Yakuza criminal was arrested in April 2022 following a raid by DEA agents in Manhattan. Court documents indicate that in 2020, Ebizawa told the undercover DEA agent that he had access to a significant amount of nuclear materials and intended to sell them. To substantiate his claims, Ebizawa sent photographs to the undercover agent. He also claimed that he had sent rock materials with Geiger counters designed to measure nuclear radiation, asserting they contained thorium and uranium. U.S. prosecutors stated that the nuclear materials under Ebizawa's control were sourced from the leader of a 'rebel ethnic group' in Myanmar, active in uranium mining in that country. Ebizawa had suggested to this rebel leader to sell uranium through him in exchange for purchasing weapons. According to prosecutors, tests conducted on samples of the alleged nuclear materials indicated they contained uranium, thorium, and plutonium, with the 'isotopic composition of plutonium' being weapon-grade and thus suitable for nuclear weapon production. U.S. prosecutors also added that Ebizawa had conspired to sell 500 kilograms of methamphetamine and 500 kilograms of heroin to an undercover agent in New York. Additionally, he was attempting to launder $100,000 from drug sales. The Islamic Republic of Iran has long claimed it is not seeking to produce nuclear weapons and that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. However, in recent months, especially following setbacks to its proxy forces and air defenses in Israeli airstrikes, several current and former officials of the Islamic Republic have openly discussed the possibility of a 'change' in the regime's nuclear doctrine.