- Shamim Mafi, a 44-year-old Iranian national and U.S. permanent resident, was apprehended Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
- Federal prosecutors allege Mafi brokered the sale of drones, bombs, fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition between Iran and the Sudanese Armed Forces.
- The illicit trade comes amid Sudan’s devastating four-year civil war, which has displaced millions and triggered a severe humanitarian crisis.
Federal agents have arrested a Los Angeles woman accused of acting as a middleman in a massive weapons trafficking scheme between Iran and war-torn Sudan.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Shamim Mafi was taken into custody at LAX on Saturday night as she attempted to navigate the terminal, according to First US Attorney Bill Essayli.
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Mafi, who has lived in the United States as a lawful permanent resident since 2016, is accused of facilitating the transfer of high-grade military hardware.
The brokered deal reportedly included “drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition” destined for the Sudanese Armed Forces.
Mafi is scheduled to make her first appearance in US District Court in Los Angeles today, Monday, April 20, 2026. If convicted of the charges, she faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
Authorities have released images of FBI agents escorting Mafi from the airport terminal into a waiting vehicle.
The arrest highlights the international dimensions of the conflict in Sudan. Now in its fourth year, the civil war has crippled the North African nation’s food supply and infrastructure.
US prosecutors suggest that the injection of foreign weaponry into the conflict further exacerbates the “deadly paradox” of the region, where arms flow freely while millions of civilians face starvation.
