FBI Arrests Iranian National Suspected of Smuggling Arms at LAX
Federal authorities arrested Shamim Mafi, a 44-year-old Iranian national and lawful U.S. permanent resident, at Los Angeles International Airport while she was allegedly attempting to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey.
According to federal prosecutors, Mafi was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged arms brokering activities tied to the Iranian government.
A 68-page criminal complaint accuses Mafi of arranging sales of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan. She is also charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Prosecutors said the transactions required U.S. licenses because they involved sanctioned goods and countries, but Mafi allegedly did not obtain those approvals.
One of the largest alleged deals involved a contract worth more than $70.6 million for Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drones sold to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense.
The complaint also alleges Mafi helped facilitate the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to the Sudanese military.
Additional ammunition transactions listed in the filing included one deal for 10 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition and another proposed contract for 240 million rounds.
Federal investigators said payments were routed through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates using an Oman-registered company called Atlas International Business LLC.
Prosecutors allege the structure was used to evade U.S. sanctions restrictions and conceal the source of the transactions.
Court records also claim Mafi maintained contact with Iranian intelligence-linked figures.
According to federal prosecutors, Mafi was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged arms brokering activities tied to the Iranian government.
A 68-page criminal complaint accuses Mafi of arranging sales of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan. She is also charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Prosecutors said the transactions required U.S. licenses because they involved sanctioned goods and countries, but Mafi allegedly did not obtain those approvals.
One of the largest alleged deals involved a contract worth more than $70.6 million for Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drones sold to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense.
The complaint also alleges Mafi helped facilitate the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to the Sudanese military.
Additional ammunition transactions listed in the filing included one deal for 10 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition and another proposed contract for 240 million rounds.
Federal investigators said payments were routed through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates using an Oman-registered company called Atlas International Business LLC.
Prosecutors allege the structure was used to evade U.S. sanctions restrictions and conceal the source of the transactions.
Court records also claim Mafi maintained contact with Iranian intelligence-linked figures.
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