U.S. authorities have arrested a leader of a Japanese crime syndicate—also known as Yakuza—and three Thai men for drug trafficking and trying to acquire U.S.-made weaponry for “unstable nations,” the Justice Department said Thursday. Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa and his Thai national affiliates, Sompak Rukrasaranee, Somphob Singhasiri, and Suksan Jullanan, were arrested in Manhattan on April 4 and 5. “We allege Mr. Ebisawa and his co-conspirators brokered deals with an undercover DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] agent to buy heavy-duty weaponry and sell large quantities of illegal drugs,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “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,” he added. The DEA has been investigating the transnational crime syndicate since at least 2019 …