Takeshi Ebisawa, a Japanese national, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon for his role in an international conspiracy involving the trafficking of nuclear materials, narcotics, firearms, and money laundering. The sentencing was announced by Jay Clayton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Terrance Cole, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
Ebisawa previously pleaded guilty to six counts related to these offenses. His activities spanned several countries including Japan, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Sri Lanka, and the United States.
According to court documents and public records, from around 2019 until his arrest on April 4, 2022, Ebisawa was under investigation by the DEA for large-scale trafficking operations. He introduced an undercover DEA agent posing as a trafficker to his international network with the intention of arranging criminal transactions.
One part of the scheme involved attempting to sell uranium and weapons-grade plutonium from Burma to a person Ebisawa believed was an Iranian general seeking materials for a nuclear weapons program. The plan included exchanging these nuclear materials for military-grade weapons such as surface-to-air missiles intended for insurgent groups in Burma. In February 2022, samples provided during meetings in Thailand were seized with help from Thai authorities and tested at a U.S. laboratory. The samples contained uranium, thorium, and weapons-grade plutonium.
Another part of Ebisawa’s operation involved brokering sales of methamphetamine and heroin in exchange for heavy weaponry allegedly sourced from U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. He traveled to Denmark in February 2021 to inspect some of these purported weapons.
In separate negotiations during June and September 2021 in Thailand, Ebisawa’s associates provided high-purity samples—approximately one kilogram each—of methamphetamine (98% purity) and heroin (86-87% purity) meant for distribution in New York.
Additionally, Ebisawa laundered $100,000 described as narcotics proceeds from the United States to Japan through bank accounts controlled by his co-conspirators; he delivered approximately $85,000 cash equivalent in Tokyo after taking a commission.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated: “The illicit trafficking of nuclear materials is an existential threat to every New Yorker and every American,” adding that “Takeshi Ebisawa tried to sell uranium, thorium, and plutonium to fuel a purported nuclear weapons program… In exchange, Ebisawa hoped to procure battlefield weapons for insurgent groups and profit for himself.” Clayton credited law enforcement partners who worked across three continents on this case.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole commented: “National security and public safety are the very tenets of DEA’s mission… Today’s sentence should send a clear message: threatening the United States by trafficking nuclear materials, narcotics, and military-grade weapons will trigger an uncompromising response.”
Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg added: “Thanks to the exceptional work of the DEA and our DOJ prosecutors,Takeshi Ebisawa has been held accountable for his crimes… The National Security Division will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle criminal networks that seek to profit from the illicit trade in deadly weapons and substances.”
In addition to his prison term at age 61,Ebisawa received five years’ supervised release following incarceration.
The prosecution team praised cooperation among various domestic offices as well as law enforcement agencies based abroad—including those operating out of Denmark,Japn,the Kingdom of Thailand,and Indonesia—in bringing this case forward.The Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit handled prosecution duties alongside attorneys Kaylan E.Lasky ,Alexander Li,and Kevin T.Sullivan with assistance from DOJ’s Counterterrorism Section.
