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 Iranian weapons deals and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
- 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.
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157 Articles
LA area woman charged with trafficking arms on behalf of Iranian government
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - A Woodland Hills woman charged with trafficking arms on behalf of the Iranian government was behind bars today awaiting a detention hearing later this week in federal court. Shamim Mafi, 44, made her first appearance before a judge Monday but did not enter a plea to allegations she plotted to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by brokering the sale of Iranian-made weapons -- drones, bombs, and millions o…
California woman arrested at LAX for alleged weapons trafficking on Iran government's behalf
Federal prosecutors said a 44-year-old Los Angeles woman was arrested Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of helping Iran traffic weapons to Sudan, which is in its fourth year of a bloody civil war.
DOJ Arrests Iranian National at LAX for Allegedly Brokering Iranian Arms Sales on Behalf of Tehran Regime
Federal agents arrested Shamim Mafi, a 44-year-old Iranian national and lawful permanent U.S. resident since 2016, at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday night on charges she brokered the sale of Iranian-manufactured drones, bombs, bomb fuses, assault weapons, and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan’s defense ministry. Mafi, who resides in Woodland Hills, faces a single count of violating 50 U.S.C. § 1705, part of the International…
Iranian woman living it up in LA arrested for selling drones, bombs to Sudan
by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News April 20, 2026 An Iranian woman who was living the high life in Los Angeles was actually a major arms dealer for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Shamim Mafi was arrested at LAX on Saturday for allegedly brokering deals for […]
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