Iranian Businesswoman Arrested for Alleged Arms Trafficking in Los Angeles
Arrest of Shamim Mafi
Los Angeles: Shamim Mafi, a businesswoman of Iranian descent holding a US green card, was apprehended at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night. She faces serious allegations of facilitating multimillion-dollar arms transactions for Tehran, which include Iranian-manufactured drones, explosives, and vast quantities of ammunition intended for Sudan.
According to First US Attorney Bill Essayli, Mafi is charged with orchestrating the sale of "drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition" to the Sudanese Armed Forces. This information was disclosed on Sunday, as reported by various news outlets.
Background on Shamim Mafi
Mafi became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016. A criminal complaint filed on March 12 indicates that she, along with an unnamed accomplice, managed a company in Oman named Atlas International Business. It is alleged that this company was involved in trafficking weapons, receiving payments exceeding USD 7 million in 2025. These arms were reportedly intended for use in the ongoing civil conflict in Sudan.
Mafi, aged 44 and residing in Woodland Hills, California, was arrested just before boarding a flight to Istanbul. She now faces federal charges that could result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Prosecutors have highlighted a deal exceeding $70 million for Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drones sourced from Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. These drones, along with 55,000 bomb fuses, were allegedly transferred to Sudan's Ministry of Defense, which has been embroiled in a violent civil war since 2023.
She is charged under 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for facilitating the sale of Iranian-manufactured drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan, as stated by First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli. Furthermore, it is alleged that Mafi intentionally routed transactions through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade detection by US authorities.