A 44-year-old Iranian national and U.S. permanent resident Shamim Mafi was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on charges of brokering the sale of Iranian-made drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and large quantities of ammunition to Sudan in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Prosecutors say Mafi helped broker a contract worth more than 70.6 million dollars for Mohajer-6 armed drones and coordinated the sale of tens of thousands of bomb fuses and hundreds of millions of rounds of ammunition, including 10 million rounds of AK-47 ammo.

She faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted and was set to make her first court appearance in a Los Angeles federal court.

The investigation traces the scheme to an Oman-based intermediary, Atlas International Business LLC, with payments routed through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade sanctions, and reportedly involved coordination with Iran’s government including the IRGC and an MOIS officer.

A co-conspirator is alleged to have facilitated weapons deals through Atlas International, with activities linked across California.

Mafi has been a lawful permanent resident since 2016 and routinely travels to Iran, Turkey, and Oman, with records showing an Istanbul residence from 2013 to 2016.

The complaint, dated March 12, outlines an illicit network trafficking weapons and ammunition between Iran and Sudan.

Social media posts show Mafi posing with weapons in Turkey and enjoying a beach day in California, contributing to a public persona tied to arms dealing.

First U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the charges via social media on the day of the filing.

Mafi is the third Angeleno from the Iranian diaspora to be arrested by the FBI in three weeks, indicating an intensified enforcement focus on this community.

The case alleges conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, with a potential 20-year maximum sentence.

The Sudanese civil war, ongoing since 2023, has caused a humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and around 13 million people displaced.