Takeshi Ebisawa, a serious participant within the Yakuza, negotiated missiles for medication offers with undercover DEA brokers, federal prosecutors allege.
US Dept. of Justice
A Japanese Yakuza boss and three others have been busted in a globe-spanning scheme to purchase missiles for Burmese rebels in trade for large quantities of medicine, federal prosecutors mentioned Thursday.
Japan citizen Takeshi Ebisawa, 57, negotiated offers with an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent to ship US-made weapons to rebel teams who paid with kilos of meth and heroin, in line with a criticism unsealed Thursday.
The alleged traffickers have been planning to distribute the medication in New York and supply heavy-duty weapons like surface-to-air missiles to 2 militant teams engaged within the ongoing violence in war-torn Burma, the US Lawyer for the Southern District of New York mentioned.
“The medication have been destined for New York streets, and the weapons shipments have been meant for factions in unstable nations,” US Lawyer Damian Williams mentioned in a press release.
“Members of this worldwide crime syndicate can not put lives in peril and can face justice for his or her illicit actions.”
Additionally arrested within the scheme have been Thailand residents Somphop Singhasiri, 58, Suksan “Bobby” Jullanan, 53, and Sompak Rukrasaranee, 55. Sinhasiri and Rikrasaranee are Thailand residents, whereas Jullanan is a citizen of Thailand and the US, prosecutors mentioned.
All 4 males have been busted Monday and Tuesday in Manhattan and are being held following their first court docket appearances.
The DEA has allegedly been watching Ebisawa since at the least 2019, saying he’s a giant participant in drug and weapons trafficking for the Yakuza worldwide legal syndicate. The operation to uncover the display included an spy assembly members of the community in Japan, Thailand and elsewhere.
Ebisawa used the codeword “bamboo” to explain the weapons, which have been to be offered to the ethnic-based teams Shan State Military and Karen Nationwide Union, in line with the criticism. The Yakuza chief, Jullanan and Rukrasaranee believed the weapons had been stolen from two US navy bases in Afghanistan, the criticism alleges.
Ebisawa and Singhasiri deliberate to distribute 500 kilograms of meth and one other 500 kilograms of heroin, in line with the criticism.
Jullanan and Rukrasaranee are dealing with costs of narcotics importation conspiracy, and conspiracy to amass, switch and possess surface-to-air missiles.
Ebisawa is dealing with the identical costs and an extra cost of cash laundering.
Sinhasiri was booked on costs of narcotics importation conspiracy and conspiracy to own firearms.
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