US Businessman Adam Castillo Deported from Myanmar After Months of Detention

BANGKOK — Myanmar’s military-backed government has deported Adam Castillo, a U.S. businessman and former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, following three months of detention on charges that supporters describe as fabricated, according to state media reports.

State-run MRTV television announced that Castillo was flown from the capital, Naypyitaw, earlier in the day, citing “friendly relations between Myanmar and the United States” as the reason for his release.

The state television report indicated that Castillo faced charges of breach of trust related to allegations of violating AmCham Myanmar regulations. The report did not specify whether he had been brought to trial or if the charges were ultimately dismissed.

Global Reach, a Washington-based nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting Americans wrongfully detained abroad, confirmed Castillo’s release. The organization was engaged by Castillo’s family to assist in his case.

“We are thrilled to see Adam coming home and are grateful for the collaboration and efforts from the Trump Administration,” said Global Reach CEO Mickey Bergman.

Castillo, 40, was taken into custody by U.S. officials in Myanmar and flown to Bangkok, Thailand, before returning to the United States.

“I can’t wait to welcome my brother home, but I know it will be bittersweet for him,” said his sister, Amanda Castillo, in a statement. “He held great hopes for enhanced U.S.-Myanmar relations and possesses the deepest respect for the Burmese people, among whom he lived for many years.”

The former U.S. Marine, who founded and owned the security risk management firm AGS Myanmar, was detained at Yangon International Airport on June 11 upon returning from Malaysia.

The arrest followed accusations of financial impropriety by AmCham Myanmar, which Castillo denies. At the time of his arrest, authorities merely stated that he had been detained due to “a crime and a lawsuit,” without providing further details.

On Wednesday, AmCham Myanmar released a statement on its website explaining its actions, stating that it had “obtained independent legal advice and, consistent with its fiduciary duties and its obligations under its constitution, referred the matter to the appropriate authorities.”

It remains unclear whether Danny Kyaw, an Australian national and former executive director of AmCham Myanmar who was also arrested in connection with the case, has been released. The Australian Embassy in Myanmar declined to comment on the case.

The allegations against Castillo center on his lobbying efforts aimed at promoting trade with the Southeast Asian nation.

As a prominent supporter of the MAGA movement, Castillo had secured high-level meetings in Washington to pitch a proposal offering the U.S. access to Myanmar’s rare earth minerals in exchange for sanctions relief. Concurrently, he operated one of the country’s leading security firms and published a book in March detailing his experiences.

In his book, Castillo criticized U.S. sanctions against Myanmar, arguing that they harm local businesses and citizens while leaving the military-backed government unaffected. He was also critical of the military, known as the Tatmadaw, as well as AmCham leadership.

The memoir also described an incident in which Castillo claimed to have assisted a prominent dissident in fleeing the country.

Castillo was arrested upon returning from a book promotional trip in Malaysia, at which point the contents of his memoir were likely known to the regime, according to Casey Barnett, former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia who knew Castillo from regional business events.

Barnett noted that Myanmar had previously sentenced a rapper to 20 years in prison in 2023 simply for criticizing the military government over power outages.

“The regime would likely be highly aware, if not made aware, of the statements Adam made in his book, including calling the Tatmadaw regime a great evil,” Barnett, now president of the CamEd Business School in Phnom Penh, told The Associated Press. “Such statements are intolerable in a country that imprisons a rapper for life over criticism of electricity shortages.”

The AmCham’s complaint focuses on Castillo’s creation of the U.S.-Burma Economic Forum as a lobbying vehicle for the chamber during his tenure as president from 2023 to 2025, as well as a 2024 contract he signed with Washington-based public relations firm Mercury LLC.

The contract, valued at $300,000, was described in AmCham Myanmar’s official complaint as funds Castillo “illegally collected” using the association’s name and allegedly failed to deposit into the chamber’s bank accounts.

In its annual report detailing the internal investigation, the chamber asserted that “the board never approved the agreement, AmCham Myanmar received no funds, made no payments, and received no services, and the matter was not disclosed to the statutory auditors.”

However, other AmCham documents appear to contradict this annual report.

A November 1, 2024 resolution on AmCham Myanmar letterhead, signed by board members including Castillo, states that the board approved the Burma Lobby initiative and granted “full authority to act on behalf of AmCham Myanmar in connection with the initiative.” The document also notes agreement that sponsorship would be provided by Misfit Technologies and approves the engagement of Mercury Public Affairs.

This resolution was obtained by The Associated Press from Castillo’s supporters. AmCham Executive Director Myat Phyu The described the document to the AP as “fabricated.”

An employee of Misfit Technologies confirmed that CEO Munimul Islam, who was a board member at the time and is named as a co-defendant in the AmCham complaint, signed the resolution. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, while other board members did not respond to inquiries.

Additional documents still hosted on the AmCham website suggest that the board was indeed aware of and approved the initiative.

Minutes from the May 30, 2025 general meeting record Castillo’s proposal to establish the U.S.-Burma Economic Forum as part of the chamber’s constitution, which passed with 42 votes in favor and eight against.

According to a Misfit Technologies employee who handled the matter, the approximately $300,000 in fees paid to Mercury were processed directly through the company’s U.S. office, as sanctions and local regulations made direct transfers from Myanmar virtually impossible.

These payments were properly declared by Mercury to American authorities under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, with reports publicly accessible online.

While the chamber claimed it received no services, The Associated Press verified that Mercury did organize and attend multiple meetings in Washington alongside Castillo and other participants.

“My brother is all about law and order; he was a Marine Corps officer for goodness sake,” said his sister Amanda. “The suggestion that he did anything inappropriate is laughable—so many people can vouch for that.”

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