Yakuza boss attempted to traffic and sell nuclear weapons-grade plutonium

In a federal courtroom on Wednesday, Takeshi Ebisawa, a Japanese Yakuza boss, admitted to masterminding the illegal trafficking of about 1,100 pounds of drugs and military-grade weapons. A significant prison term is assured by this alone, but the addition of a second conviction for trying to sell thousands of pounds of uranium and weapons-grade plutonium practically guarantees that Ebisawa will serve out the rest of his days in prison.

It is difficult to sort through the most damning evidence that is offered in the Department of Justice’s court documents. One piece of incriminating evidence is a photograph taken by a clandestine agent showing Ebisawa wielding a stolen US Army rocket launcher. Additionally, a WhatsApp conversation between Ebisawa and a co-conspirator that included pictures of lab-tested heroin and in which the co-conspirator asked, “Is this the correct shipment you provided to my associates?” to which Ebisawa replied, “Yes,” provides more incriminating evidence. Additionally, there are audio recordings of the Yakuza boss talking with an undercover agent he mistakenly thought was a general in the Iranian military about the sale of nuclear-grade materials.

“Ebisawa unwittingly introduced [agents]… to Ebisawa’s global network of criminal associates, spanning Japan, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and the United States, among other locations, with the objective of facilitating large-scale narcotics and arms transactions,” the announcement made by the DOJ on January 7 said. The successful completion of these illegal transactions would have allowed the distribution of drugs like heroin and methamphetamine throughout New York, as well as significant financial and weaponry support to armed militant groups in Burma.

In addition to the drugs and stolen military equipment, the DOJ claims that Ebisawa spent years negotiating transactions involving a large amount of nuclear materials. The Yakuza leader provided undercover investigators with multiple photos of “rocky substances” placed next to Geiger counters showing their radiation levels to prove he had these items. Alongside these pictures were alleged records attesting to the existence of uranium and thorium. Ebisawa later offered 220 pounds of uranium concentrate powder, also known as “yellowcake,” for sale during follow-up meetings with undercover agents. Additionally, he revealed his ability to provide “superior” and more “potent” plutonium for the country’s nuclear weapons program to an agent masquerading as an Iranian general.

Technically speaking, Takeshi Ebisawa’s claim about the plutonium’s strength was correct. A plutonium pit is a component used in modern thermonuclear weapons. This essential part contains a shell of chemical explosives that encloses a gas, such as tritium and deuterium. The explosives cause a fission reaction when they detonate because they compress the plutonium around the casing so forcefully. A fusion reaction in the uranium core of a warhead results in the change from “atomic” to “thermonuclear” classification. This important detail helps to increase the magnitude of Castle Bravo, the first thermonuclear bomb test conducted by the United States, from a yield of a few dozen kilotons to a weapon of mass destruction.   The device produced a 15-megaton explosion, allegedly the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated by the United States, despite the fact that it was originally predicted in 1959 to produce a blast equivalent to six megatons of TNT.

Beyond its destructive potential, plutonium was available to Ebisawa. Because plutonium is much less common in nature than uranium, its production requires expensive and complex laboratory and manufacturing facilities. Purchasing the product directly would probably have allowed dishonest people to avoid a number of important procedures while also saving a significant amount of money. Court documents state that a nuclear forensics lab verified that Ebisawa’s plutonium was weapons-grade material “suitable for utilization in a nuclear weapon.”

Takeshi Ebisawa entered a guilty plea to six charges, including conspiracy to traffic in international nuclear materials, conspiracy to possess firearms, conspiracy to import drugs, conspiracy to engage in international nuclear materials trafficking, and conspiracy to launder money.

Due to the strict laws governing the nuclear material trafficking industry, convictions in this area are comparatively rare. Since 1993, there have only been 4,243 instances of illegal handling of nuclear material reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Eight percent of these incidents, however, were thought to be the result of “trafficking or malicious use.”