Federal authorities took a 44-year-old Los Angeles resident into custody Saturday evening at Los Angeles International Airport, accusing her of facilitating weapons trafficking between Iran and Sudan during that nation’s ongoing civil conflict.
Shamim Mafi faces allegations of arranging sales of “drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition” connecting Iranian suppliers with the Sudanese Armed Forces, according to First U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who announced the charges Sunday via social media.
Attempts to reach Mafi for comment were unsuccessful Sunday, and no legal representation has been identified for her case.
Essayli shared an image showing an FBI agent leading a woman toward a vehicle outside an LAX terminal.
According to Essayli, Mafi holds Iranian citizenship and obtained lawful permanent U.S. residency status in 2016.
Court documents filed March 12 claim Mafi worked with an unidentified accomplice to run Atlas International Business, an Oman-based enterprise allegedly used for weapons and ammunition trafficking. The business reportedly collected more than $7 million in payments during 2025.
The pair also allegedly facilitated a separate deal involving 55,000 bomb fuses destined for Sudan’s Defense Ministry, court records indicate.
“In connection with the transaction, Mafi submitted a letter of intent to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (“IRGC”) to purchase the bomb fuses for Sudan,” the complaint said.
Mafi’s initial court appearance is set for Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. A conviction could result in up to 20 years imprisonment.
Sudan’s civil conflict, now in its fourth year, has sparked a severe humanitarian emergency across the North African nation, with food shortages intensifying and millions displaced from their communities.
