CNN —An alleged leader from Japan’s Yakuza crime syndicates has pleaded guilty to trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar as part of a global web of trades in drugs, weapons and laundered cash, according to the US Department of Justice. The 60-year-old Japanese national on Wednesday pleaded guilty in a New York court to conspiring with a network of associates to traffic the nuclear materials out of Myanmar, it said. He also admitted to international narcotics trafficking and weapons charges. A year later, US authorities arrested Ebisawa on charges of plotting to distribute drugs in the United States and purchase American-made surface-to-air missiles. The country is awash with natural resources such as rare-earth metals and other materials vital for civilian and military technology, including uranium.

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Persons: CNN —, Takeshi Ebisawa, Ebisawa, ”, Edward Y, Kim, Ebisawa “, …, Anne Milgram, “, Matthew G, Olsen, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, US Department of Justice, US Drug Enforcement Administration, Wednesday, Southern, of, “, Department, Justice, ”, Yakuza, Department of Justice’s National Security Locations: Myanmar, Iranian, New York, Burma, Ebisawa, United States, of New York, Tokyo, Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka