US accuses Yakuza leader of attempting to sell nuclear material to Iran

Takeshi Ebisawa, a 60-year-old Japanese yakuza leader, was recently charged by the U.S. authorities for attempting to sell nuclear material to Iran. According to the prosecutors, this incident occurred in February 2022, during a meeting in Phuket, Thailand. Ebisawa allegedly met with an undercover agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), posing as an Iranian general, to discuss the sale of uranium. It is important to note that this is not the first time Ebisawa has been charged. Previously, in April 2022, he and his co-defendant Somphop Singhasiri were charged with drug trafficking and firearms offenses. The alleged nuclear material sale aimed to fund an illegal arms deal, raising significant global security concerns.