The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned the Karen National Army (KNA) in Burma, a transnational criminal organization. Its leader, Saw Chit Thu and his two sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, have been sanctioned for their involvement in cyber scams, human trafficking and cross-border smuggling that harm U.S citizens.
The headquarters of the KNA are located in Shwe Kokko, in Myawaddy Township, Burma’s southeast Karen State, near the border with Thailand.The KNA makes profits from large-scale cyber scam schemes by leasing land under its control to other organized crime groups and providing support for trafficking, smuggling and the sale of energy used in scam operations.
Under the leadership of Saw Chit Thu, the KNA has become a key enabler of scam operations in the region. It provides security at compounds, leases land to criminal organizations, and profits handsomely from the victims of scams and the innocent people who are forced to carry out crimes. Saw Chit Thu appointed his two sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, as officers in the KNA. Both have served in key roles within the criminal enterprise of the KNA
