Yakuza leader arrested in U.S. for drugs for missiles plot

Surface-to-air missiles to Myanmar to be paid for with heroin and meth

Apr 08 (Nikkei) - A yakuza leader and three Thai associates have been arrested in New York for allegedly conspiring to obtain surface-to-air missiles for groups in Myanmar using narcotics as a payment, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

A Drug Enforcement Administration investigation led to the arrest of Takeshi Ebisawa of Japan, dual U.S.-Thai citizen Suksan Jullanan and Sompak Rukrasaranee of Thailand on April 4. Somphop Singhasiri of Thailand was arrested on April 5.

"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," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a news release.

The four men all face a maximum of life imprisonment for charges relating to international weapons and narcotics trafficking. Ebisawa, a leader within a Japanese transnational organized crime syndicate known as yakuza, has also been charged with money laundering.

The DEA investigation into Ebisawa's connections to narcotics and weapons trafficking had been ongoing since 2019 and spanned the globe. DEA offices across six countries and three continents were all involved, as was law enforcement in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia.

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