FBI Arrests Iranian National Suspected of Smuggling Arms at LAX

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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.

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 the complaint, records obtained through a search warrant showed approximately 62 bidirectional contacts between Mafi and a phone number associated with an officer from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025.

During interviews with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mafi allegedly acknowledged communicating with the officer.

The complaint states she told investigators she was “more useful to them in Iran than in the United States.”

Authorities allege the scheme was conducted from several countries, including the United States, Iran, Turkey, Oman, and other locations, per Trending Politics.

Bill Essayli confirmed the arrest in a public statement and said Mafi was expected to make her initial court appearance in downtown Los Angeles on Monday.

Essayli said Mafi is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The case comes during heightened U.S. scrutiny of Iranian international networks involving sanctions evasion, weapons transfers, and proxy conflicts across the Middle East and Africa.

The Mohajer-6 drone, named in the complaint, has previously drawn international attention for battlefield use and export concerns.

For prosecutors, the central allegation is that Mafi used her U.S. residency status and international access to broker prohibited weapons sales.