Takeshi Ebisawa, a 60-year-old alleged Yakuza leader, pleaded guilty in a New York court to trafficking nuclear materials, drugs, and weapons as part of an international criminal network.

In a 2021 DEA undercover operation, Ebisawa attempted to sell uranium and weapons-grade plutonium from Myanmar to a supposed Iranian general for a nuclear weapons program.

He also conspired to distribute heroin and methamphetamine in the U.S. and purchase American-made missiles, CNN has reported.

Ebisawa faces up to 20 years in prison for trafficking nuclear materials, with officials highlighting the case’s threat to national security.

Written by B.C. Begley