Woman arrested at LAX on Iranian arms trafficking charge
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Shamim Mafi, a 44-year-old Los Angeles woman and Iranian national, was arrested at LAX on suspicion of facilitating arms trafficking from Iran to Sudan amid Sudan's ongoing civil war.
- Federal prosecutors allege Mafi brokered the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition to the Sudanese Armed Forces through a company based in Oman called Atlas International Business.
- The company reportedly received over $7 million in payments in 2025, and Mafi submitted a letter of intent to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to purchase 55,000 bomb fuses for Sudan.
- Mafi, who became a lawful permanent U.S. resident in 2016, faces charges that carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
- She is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, and it is currently unknown if she has legal representation.
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