Feds Arrest Iranian-Born Woman Who Allegedly Helped Iran Traffick Drones, Bombs and Ammunition to Sudan

An Iranian national who became a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. in 2016 was arrested on Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran.

Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, 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.

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

NEW: Feds arrest an Iranian woman last night at LAX right before she was about to get on a flight to Turkey. Shamim Mafi is accused of brokering Iranian bombs, weapons, drones and ammunition to Sedan.

Mafi, who lives in LA, allegedly brokered “millions of rounds of… pic.twitter.com/MQtbwCmRl1

— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) April 19, 2026

Glam Iranian businesswoman busted at LAX, charged with helping regime buy drones, bombs and ammo https://t.co/B2Ep6rRfOP pic.twitter.com/McZN4MDmmz

— New York Post (@nypost) April 19, 2026

BREAKING: Iranian national Shamim Mafi arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking guns on behalf of the Iranian government.

She faces up to 20 years in prison.

Mafi was born in Iran and became a lawful United States resident in 2016 under Obama. pic.twitter.com/URQmhnxjJW

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 19, 2026

The Iranian regime’s terrorists are in America.

Good to see the FBI round them up. https://t.co/GzapDFg8Ls

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 19, 2026

If convicted, she faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

She is expected to make her initial appearance on Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown L.A. 

She is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

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