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 Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which prohibits transactions with sanctioned nations like Iran. If convicted, she faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison. She is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California announced the arrest Sunday via X, posting photos of Mafi in custody at LAX and images of Iranian-made military hardware. “Last night, Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran,” Essayli wrote. “She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan.” 

Last night, Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran. She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of… pic.twitter.com/l39Gf1WVed

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) April 19, 2026

The U.S. Department of Justice amplified the announcement on its official social media accounts, crediting the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and Essayli’s office. “Great work First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, USAO-Central District of California, and FBI Los Angeles!” the DOJ posted. 

According to the unsealed FBI criminal complaint, Mafi allegedly operated through Atlas International Business, a company she co-owns in Oman, to facilitate the deals. Among the transactions detailed: a contract valued at more than €60 million (approximately $70 million) for Iranian-made armed drones (including Mohajer-6 UAVs) sold to Sudan. Mafi is also accused of brokering the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses, AK-47 machine guns, and other munitions to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense. 

Investigators allege she coordinated a Sudanese delegation’s travel to Iran, received more than €6 million in payments tied to the drone deal, issued receipts, and submitted a letter of intent to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to broker the bomb-fuse transaction. The complaint further claims she used informal currency exchange networks across Turkey and the UAE to evade U.S. sanctions. 

Mafi is scheduled to make her initial appearance Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. FBI agents also executed a search warrant at her Woodland Hills residence. 

Essayli has emphasized the Justice Department’s commitment to enforcing U.S. sanctions. In a related post Sunday, he stated that anyone violating U.S. sanctions laws “will be vigorously prosecuted.”

The arrest comes amid heightened U.S. scrutiny of Iranian sanctions evasion and Tehran’s role in arming conflict zones. Sudan has been embroiled in a brutal civil war since April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Iran has faced long-standing U.S. sanctions for its support of terrorism and destabilizing activities across the Middle East and Africa. 

Mafi left Iran in 2013 and obtained lawful permanent resident status in the United States in 2016. No additional details about her immigration history or any co-conspirators were released in the initial announcement.