Final Updated:
The girl used to be taken into custody and charged with arranging the sale of Iranian drones, bombs and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition destined for Sudan.
Shamim Mafi is a resident of Woodland Hills. (Photograph: X)
A 44-year-outmoded Iranian businesswoman with a U.S. inexperienced card used to be arrested at Los Angeles World Airport on Saturday evening for allegedly brokering hands deals on behalf of Tehran, per Invoice Essayli, First Assistant US Lawyer.
She is charged with brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and equipped to Sudan, he added.
In a post on X, Essayli shared miniature print, asserting, “If convicted, she faces a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in federal jail. Mafi is an Iranian national who changed into a lawful permanent resident of the US in 2016. She is anticipated to carry out her initial look on Monday afternoon in U.S. District Courtroom in downtown Los Angeles. She is presumed harmless till proven guilty in court docket.”
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
According to a report by the New York Post, Shamim Mafi, a resident of Woodland Hills, was taken into custody and charged with arranging the sale of Iranian drones, bombs, and millions of rounds of ammunition destined for Sudan.
Prosecutors allege that Mafi maintained close contact with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, which reportedly provided instructions and funding for her to establish a business operation in the United States. Court records cited in the report indicate she used an Oman-registered firm, Atlas International Business, to facilitate the transactions as recently as 2025.
“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,” Essayli said Sunday, announcing the arrest, per the document.
Amongst the alleged deals used to be a contract price more than $70 million inviting Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drones equipped by Iran’s Ministry of Protection and Armed Forces Logistics. The drones, along with roughly 55,000 bomb fuses, were reportedly transferred in agreements with Sudan’s Ministry of Protection, which has been engaged in a civil battle since 2023.
Mafi, who left Iran in 2013 and got permanent U.S. residency in 2016, also maintained a public profile on social media, where she shared photos of international shuttle and a luxury standard of living, in conjunction with posing with a high-slay Mercedes-Benz roadster, the document added.
Authorities are persevering with their investigation into the case.
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Los Angeles, United States of The US (USA)
First Published:
April 19, 2026, 23:44 IST
News world Iranian Lady With US Green Card Arrested At LA Airport Over Alleged Iran-Linked Drone, Bomb Deals
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