NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A leader of one of Japan's infamous Yakuza crime families was arrested Tuesday for a scheme that involved trafficking heavy duty weaponry to Burma in exchange for drugs to sell in New York, where he will be tried.
In a sting operation, DEA agents who had been investigating the syndicate since 2019 posed as drug and weapons traffickers while doing business with Takeshi Ebisawa and three Thai affiliates, Somphop Singhasiri, Suksan Jullanan and Sompak Rukrasaranee.
Ebisawa agreed to broker the sale of surface to air missiles and other weapons to militant groups in Burma. The undercover DEA agents told Ebisawa they would give him methamphetamine and heroin as payment for acting as an intermediary in the deal.
He then intended to sell the drugs in New York, where he’s charged with narcotics conspiracy and a number of other offenses.
“We allege Mr. Ebisawa and his co-conspirators brokered deals with an undercover DEA agent to buy heavy-duty weaponry and sell large quantities of illegal drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “The drugs were destined for New York streets, and the weapons shipments were meant for factions in unstable nations. Members of this international crime syndicate can no longer put lives in danger and will face justice for their illicit actions.”
Burma has been the site of bloody ethnic conflicts that led to the genocide of Rohingya in 2016 and 2017. Ethnic violence continues in the country today.
All of the conspirators face a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.
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