IRANIAN Arms Broker BUSTED at LAX – Shocking Scheme!

Person handcuffed in discussion with another person

A California woman arrested at Los Angeles International Airport was operating as an Iranian arms broker, funneling military weapons including drones, explosives, and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan—exposing a dangerous gap in how the U.S. monitors weapons trafficking by foreign nationals within American borders.

Story Snapshot

Federal authorities arrested Shamim Mafi, 44, at LAX on April 19, 2026, after she allegedly brokered over $70 million in Iranian weapons sales to Sudan’s military, including Mohajer-6 drones, 55,000 bomb fuses, and millions of ammunition rounds.
Mafi, an Iranian national granted U.S. permanent residency in 2016, operated an Oman-based shell company called Atlas International Business LLC to mask the weapons transactions and evade U.S. sanctions.
Court records reveal Mafi coordinated travel for Sudanese military delegations to Iran, received $7 million in payments, and maintained dozens of contacts with Iranian intelligence officers while holding a leadership role in a 2024 Iranian presidential campaign.
If convicted of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Mafi faces up to 20 years in federal prison and exposes how diaspora networks exploit U.S. residency to circumvent sanctions and fuel regional conflicts.

Iranian Permanent Resident Operated Weapons Pipeline from U.S. Soil

Shamim Mafi, a 44-year-old Iranian national residing in Woodland Hills, California, was arrested Saturday night at LAX before boarding a flight to Turkey on federal charges of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. [2] According to the Department of Justice, Mafi schemed to broker the sale of weapons, weapons components, and ammunition on behalf of the Iranian government, circumventing U.S. sanctions that prohibit such transactions. [2] Her arrest marks the third case involving an Angeleno from Los Angeles’s Iranian diaspora community arrested by federal authorities within three weeks, signaling a coordinated enforcement effort against Iran’s U.S.-based proliferation networks.

Iranian arms brokers are operating inside the US. Shamim Mafi, arrested at LAX, was brokering drones, explosives, and millions of rounds of Iranian ammunition to Sudan's military. The entire deal was intercepted by the UAE. https://t.co/3nG2mk6yLM

— Based Bandita (@BasedBandita) May 7, 2026

Seventy-Million-Dollar Drone Deal and Strategic Weapons Sales

Federal affidavits detail that in early 2025, Mafi facilitated a contract worth more than $70 million for the sale of Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drones from Iran’s defense ministry directly to Sudan’s military. [2] She coordinated the travel of Sudanese military delegations to Iran for inspection and negotiation, personally receiving more than $7 million in payments for brokering the arrangement. [2] Beyond drones, Mafi also brokered the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan by submitting a letter of intent to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and facilitated the transfer of millions of rounds of ammunition. [2] These weapons systems—particularly the Mohajer-6 drones, which Iran has supplied to Russia for use in Ukraine—represent sophisticated military hardware designed to fuel the Sudanese Armed Forces’ ongoing conflict.

Shell Company and Oman Hub Masked Iranian Government Transactions

Mafi owned and operated an Oman-based company, Atlas International Business LLC (also known as Atlas Global Holding and Atlas Tech LLC), which she used as the official exporter of drones and other weapons in transactions with Sudan’s Ministry of Defense. [2] Court documents show that Mafi never applied for or obtained required licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department to engage in these transactions, nor did she register with or seek approval from the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls for weapons brokering activities. [2] Approximately 62 bidirectional contacts between Mafi and Iranian intelligence officer phone numbers were documented between December 2022 and June 2025, establishing her direct operational ties to Tehran’s security apparatus. [2]

Iranian Intelligence Ties and Political Leadership Role

Court records obtained by federal authorities reveal that Mafi maintained direct communication with Iranian intelligence officials and held a leadership position in a 2024 Iranian presidential campaign. [3] The candidate she supported is now the speaker of Iran’s parliament and served as Tehran’s mayor from 2005 to 2017, indicating Mafi’s integration into Iran’s highest political circles. [3] One incident documented in court filings shows that when Sudanese military officials arrived in Tehran to inspect bomb fuses, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps refused to permit Mafi—a woman—to accompany them to the facility, forcing her to send a male intermediary instead. [2] This detail underscores her operational role within Iran’s defense and intelligence bureaucracy, where gender restrictions reflect institutional control over weapons transactions.

🚨🚨iranian national arrested on charges of trafficking arms on behalf of the Iranian government.

On the night of April 18, federal agents apprehended Shamim Mafi at Los Angeles International Airport as she attempted to board a flight ✈️ to Istanbul. The 44-year-old Iranian… pic.twitter.com/aG3K0GLFsc

— Sagive 𓂆 (@SagivEnduser) May 10, 2026

Seized Evidence and Arrest at Port of Departure

Federal agents arrested Mafi at LAX after obtaining a criminal complaint just hours before she was scheduled to depart for Turkey, preventing her escape from U.S. jurisdiction. [2] Seized evidence includes drones, drone munitions, and a briefcase containing U.S. currency in cash, corroborating the allegations of active weapons trafficking and illicit financial transfers. [2] If convicted, Mafi faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, reflecting the severity of sanctions violations and conspiracy charges. [2]

Implications for U.S. Border Security and Diaspora Monitoring

Mafi’s case exposes a critical vulnerability in U.S. national security: foreign nationals granted permanent residency can operate as state agents for hostile governments while maintaining residence in American cities. [2] She obtained her green card in 2016 and immediately began working for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, using her legal status and proximity to defense industry networks—including attendance at the SHOT Show defense trade exposition in Las Vegas—to advance Iranian proliferation goals. [2] Her arrest underscores the Trump administration’s priority on enforcing sanctions against Iran and disrupting weapons pipelines that fuel regional instability, particularly in Sudan where the conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.