The United States imposed sanctions on Monday against a Myanmar warlord, his two sons, and the militia he leads for their involvement in facilitating cyber scams, human trafficking, and cross-border smuggling, according to the Treasury Department.
The Treasury identified the warlord, Saw Chit Thu, as a key figure in a network of illicit and highly profitable cyberscam operations targeting Americans. The United Nations estimates that criminal gangs have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people across Southeast Asia in recent years, forcing them to work in these scam operations.
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The sanctions target Saw Chit Thu, the Karen National Army (KNA) that he leads, and his two sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit. The measures freeze any U.S. assets they may hold and generally prohibit Americans from conducting business with them, the department said in a statement.
Britain and the European Union have previously imposed sanctions on Saw Chit Thu.
The KNA is headquartered in Shwe Kokko, a “Special Economic Zone” along the Thai-Myanmar border, where the militia leases land and provides security for compounds where trafficked individuals are forced to scam 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.
Naing Maung Zaw, a spokesperson for the KNA, said Saw Chit Thu was saddened by the U.S. sanctions but that they “will not affect us in any way.”
“I really cannot understand why this happened when we … are working to crack down on scam centers and repatriate victims to their respective countries,” Naing Maung Zaw said. “We will continue the work we have started.”
Saw Chit Thu’s ties to Myanmar’s military rulers, evidenced by an honorary title for “outstanding performance” conferred on him by junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in November 2022, have helped him solidify his position.
Washington has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Myanmar’s junta and its sources of income since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering a civil war.
These sanctions are the first Myanmar-related sanctions imposed since President Donald Trump took office in January.
Last week, the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed banning Cambodian financial firm Huione Group from the U.S. financial system over its alleged role in laundering illicit funds from cyber heists and online scams.
