US EditionIranian National Arrested at LAX on Suspicion of Trafficking Weapons on Iran Government's Behalf
Federal prosecutors say she brokered more than $70 million in drone deals and moved bomb fuses and ammunition for Sudan's civil war.
- On Saturday night, federal authorities arrested Shamim Mafi at Los Angeles International Airport, charging the Woodland Hills resident with brokering unauthorized arms deals for the Iranian government.
- Prosecutors allege Mafi used an Oman-registered front company, Atlas International Business, to facilitate transactions including over $70 million in Iranian Mohajer-6 drones and 55,000 bomb fuses destined for Sudan.
- Phone records indicate Mafi may have been in contact with Iran's Ministry of Intelligence between December 2022 and June 2025, though she denied to investigators acting on behalf of the regime.
- Mafi faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted and is expected to appear Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
- The arrest coincides with Vice President JD Vance leading a delegation to Islamabad for talks with Iran as officials attempt to prevent expiration of a Middle East ceasefire.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Iranian Woman Arrested in LA, Charged With Helping Iranian Regime Sell Drones
Federal officials arrested an Iranian woman at the Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night for allegedly brokering weapons for the Iranian regime, officials said Sunday. Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, California, is a green card holder, according to U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli in a post on X on Sunday. Mafi was arrested at the Los Angeles airport “for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran” and was charged in connec…
Iranian Woman Arrested at Los Angeles Airport for Allegedly Trafficking Weapons for Islamic Republic
(JNS) – Federal agents arrested Shamim Mafi for allegedly trafficking weapons for the Iranian regime at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, the U.S. Justice Department said. Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, stated that Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, is an Iranian […]
Feds arrest Iranian woman at LAX for allegedly brokering weapons sales for Islamic regime
Shamim Mafi, a 44-year-old Iranian woman, was arrested at LAX for allegedly brokering over $70.6 million in Iranian drone and weapons sales to Sudan in violation of U.S. sanctions.
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