Iranian Woman with a US Green Card Busted at LAX for Trafficking Drones, Bombs, and Millions of Rounds of Ammo on Behalf of the Tehran Regime
A 44-year-old Iranian national who holds a U.S. green card was taken into custody Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport after authorities accused her of arranging major weapons transactions on behalf of the Iranian government. Investigators say the deals involved armed drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition that were intended for Sudan.
The woman, Shamim Mafi, had been living in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles. Federal prosecutors charged her under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a violation outlined in 50 U.S.C. § 1705, for allegedly helping organize the illegal export and sale of weapons manufactured in Iran.
If found guilty, she could receive a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
According to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California, Mafi is accused of using a company registered in Oman to coordinate the weapons transactions as recently as 2025. One of the reported agreements involved a contract worth more than $70 million for Mohajer-6 armed drones produced by Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.
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
Prosecutors say phone records also indicate that Mafi communicated directly with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security from December 2022 through June 2025.
Mafi, who had shared numerous photos of herself traveling internationally, portrayed a glamorous lifestyle online. In one image, she is seen posing beside a Mercedes-Benz roadster valued at roughly $100,000.
Reports indicate that she left Iran in 2013 and obtained permanent residency in the United States in 2016. Court documents state that the Oman-registered company Atlas International Business was allegedly used to arrange several of the weapons deals.
Among the transactions was the reported sale of more than $70 million worth of Mohajer-6 drones supplied by Iran’s defense ministry. The drones, along with 55,000 bomb fuses, were allegedly transferred through agreements with Sudan’s Ministry of Defense.
Sudan has been embroiled in a violent civil war since 2023, and Iran has faced repeated accusations of violating a United Nations arms embargo related to the conflict. Iranian drones have reportedly been observed in use by Sudanese government forces.
Mafi was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday evening. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
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