U.S. prosecutors have accused a leader of a Japan-based crime syndicate of conspiring to traffic uranium and plutonium from Myanmar with the belief that Iran would use it to develop nuclear weapons. The 60-year-old suspect and his associates reportedly showcased samples of nuclear materials transported from Myanmar to Thailand to an undercover DEA agent posing as a narcotics and weapons trafficker with connections to an Iranian general. The seized samples were later confirmed to contain uranium and weapons-grade plutonium.
The nuclear material was sourced from an unidentified leader of an 'ethnic insurgent group' in Myanmar who had been mining uranium in the country. The suspect allegedly proposed selling uranium to fund a weapons purchase from the general. Prosecutors revealed that the samples provided by the insurgent leader contained uranium, thorium, and weapons-grade plutonium suitable for nuclear weapon use.
The suspect, identified as a leader of an international crime syndicate based in Japan, was apprehended in Manhattan during a DEA sting operation in April 2022. He is currently in custody awaiting trial on charges including international trafficking of nuclear materials and conspiracy. The suspect is accused of trafficking nuclear materials across borders, fully aware of their potential use in a nuclear weapons program.
According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, the suspect allegedly trafficked the nuclear material while negotiating the purchase of deadly weapons, including surface-to-air missiles. The defendants are set to be arraigned in federal court in Manhattan, facing charges related to the international trafficking of nuclear materials and conspiracy.
