DOJ: Woodland Hills Woman Brokered $70M Iranian Drone Sale to Sudan, Arrested at LAX With Iranian Intelligence Ties
Shamim Mafi, 44, an Iranian national who became a U.S. lawful permanent resident under the Obama administration in 2016, was arrested Saturday night at LAX before boarding a flight out of the U.S. A federal criminal complaint charges her with conspiring to broker Iranian weapons sales to Sudan — including a $70M+ Mohajer-6 drone deal and 55,000 bomb fuses — in violation of U.S. sanctions, with records showing 62 phone contacts with an Iranian intelligence officer.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced on Monday the arrest of Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, on a federal criminal complaint charging her with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). She was arrested Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport before she could board a flight departing the United States.
Mafi is an Iranian national who became a U.S. lawful permanent resident in October 2016.
The allegations
According to the affidavit filed with the complaint, Mafi owns and operates an Oman-based company — Atlas International Business LLC, also known as "Atlas Global Holding" and "Atlas Tech LLC" — through which, beginning in early 2025, she allegedly brokered weapons deals on Iran's behalf. The DOJ summary alleges three specific transactions:
- A contract worth more than $70 million for the sale of the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drone from Iran's defense ministry to Sudan's military. Mafi is alleged to have coordinated the Sudanese delegation's travel to Iran and been paid more than $7 million for facilitating the deal.
- The sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan, along with a letter of intent submitted to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to purchase the bomb fuses for Sudan.
- The sale of millions of rounds of ammunition from Iran to Sudan.
The press release states Mafi never obtained the required Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) authorization to transact with Iran, and never registered with the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to engage in brokering activities for defense articles.
Records obtained pursuant to a search warrant show approximately 62 bidirectional contacts between Mafi and an Iranian intelligence officer's phone numbers between December 2022 and June 2025.
Officials' quotes
The press release carries statements from three principals: