U.S. puts sanctions on Myanmar warlord and militia linked to cyber scams

U.S. sanctions Myanmar warlord Saw Chit Thu and his militia for cyber scams, human trafficking, and smuggling operations.

The United States imposed sanctions on Monday (May 5, 2025) on a Myanmar warlord, his two sons and the militia he leads for facilitating cyber scams, human trafficking and cross-border smuggling, the Treasury Department said.

The Treasury said the warlord, Saw Chit Thu, is a central figure in a network of illicit and highly lucrative cyberscam operations targeting Americans. Hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs across Southeast Asia in recent years and forced to work in the scam operations, according to the United Nations.

The move puts financial sanctions on Saw Chit Thu, the Karen National Army that he heads, and his two sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, the department said in a statement, freezing any U.S. assets they may hold and generally barring Americans from doing business with them.

Britain and the European Union have already imposed sanctions on Saw Chit Thu.

Saw Chit Thu and his militia could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Karen National Army is headquartered in Shwe Kokko, a so-called "Special Economic Zone" along the Thai-Myanmar border, where the militia leases land and provides security for compounds where trafficked individuals are forced into scamming strangers online, the statement said.

"Cyber scam operations, such as those run by the KNA, generate billions in revenue for criminal kingpins and their associates, while depriving victims of their hard-earned savings and sense of security," said Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender.