Myanmar’s military-backed government freed U.S. citizen Adam Castillo on Wednesday and deported him from Naypyitaw after detention since June 11. Global Reach, a nonprofit that assists families of Americans detained overseas, said members of the Trump administration worked behind the scenes to secure his release. Castillo, a former U.S. Marine from California and former head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, was detained at Yangon’s airport after running a security firm there. Authorities accused him of improperly using the chamber for lobbying in Washington, while supporters said the charges were spurious and stemmed from a personal dispute with a Myanmar businessman. The office of Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing said the release reflected bilateral friendly relations with the U.S. The move came as Myanmar seeks international legitimacy after Min Aung Hlaing led the 2021 coup, suppressed protests, and installed himself as president this year following elections widely criticized as a sham. The U.S. retains sanctions against Myanmar’s leaders and supporting businesses, although members of President Donald Trump’s administration have indicated a willingness to engage all sides in the conflict that followed the coup. Castillo had met officials in Vice President JD Vance’s office in 2025 about possible U.S. involvement in mining rare earths in Myanmar and was detained shortly after publishing a memoir about the coup. Global Reach CEO Mickey Bergman previously helped secure the release of journalist Danny Fenster, who was detained in Myanmar in 2021.