Circuit Wire — a daily news update from the Circuit.
The US State Department said on Thursday that it had secured the release of Adam Castillo, a 40-year-old American held in Myanmar since June 11. Castillo founded the security risk management firm AGS Myanmar and was president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar from 2023 to 2025.
Myanmar authorities detained Castillo at Yangon International Airport as he arrived back from Malaysia. A delegation of US officials travelled to the capital, Naypyidaw, last week to raise his case with local officials. State media said he was flown out of the capital in consideration of friendly relations between the two countries. He was released into US custody and then flew on to Bangkok.
The arrest followed a complaint by the American Chamber of Commerce, which had been looking into suspicious transactions by former board members. The chamber's May 29 annual report said investigators found that a former board representative signed a contract in November 2024 with a Washington-based public relations firm and received $300,000 that was collected and disbursed outside the chamber's accounts. The report said the board never approved the agreement, and that the chamber received no funds, made no payments and received no services. Castillo denies financial impropriety. Myanmar state media said he had violated the chamber's regulations.
Castillo is a former US Marine officer who served in Afghanistan. AGS Myanmar, founded in 2013, lists security work alongside commercial cleaning and pest control. He chairs Republican Overseas Myanmar, established in 2024. His memoir, "Finding Our Voice," covers his years in the country after the 2021 military takeover. It was not clear whether the book played any part in his detention.
Reported detentions of foreigners in Myanmar have risen since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, with journalists covering the political crisis among those held. Authorities there rarely speak to international media, and the government made no public comment on the case while Castillo was held. Mickey Bergman, chief executive of the Washington nonprofit Global Reach, which helped the family press for his release, said the group was "thrilled to see Adam coming home".
Want a weekly roundup of the major stories shaping the security industry? The On The Circuit newsletter is read by more than 12,000 protection professionals.
Spotted something we should cover? Send tips and feedback via circuit-magazine.com.