A woman from Woodland Hills was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of aiding Iran in supplying weapons to groups in Africa. Shamim Mafi, 44, is accused of brokering deals for drones, bombs, and ammunition between Iran and the Sudanese Armed Forces. She was set to fly to Turkey when law enforcement apprehended her.
Mafi’s activities are said to be linked to the ongoing civil war in Sudan, which has caused over 100,000 deaths and displaced millions since 2023. This conflict is one of the deadliest proxy wars in the region, with Iran and other Persian Gulf countries heavily involved.
After moving to Los Angeles from Turkey in 2013, Mafi quickly integrated into the local Iranian community and obtained her green card in 2016. Allegations suggest that she began working for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, using a shell company in Oman to facilitate weapons and cash transfers to Iran’s proxies.
Court documents reveal that Mafi was in contact with Sudanese brokers. In one instance, she was asked to arrange a shipment of Qods Mohajer-6 drones, which Iran has also supplied to Russia for use in Ukraine. Some of these weapons reportedly arrived in Sudan from China.
Mafi’s dealings involved complex financial maneuvers to avoid U.S. sanctions. Cash payments were often made in crates of $100 bills or through informal money-exchange systems called hawalas, which operate across the Middle East and Africa. Mafi advised one contact to keep transactions small to evade detection.
Interestingly, Mafi’s presence in arms deals reflects a historical trend where countries in conflict employ women in various roles within the arms trade. This has been noted in past instances where women seamlessly navigated the male-dominated industry.
Documents show Mafi had meetings with her Sudanese contacts in Iran. One meeting was complicated when she could not attend due to restrictions from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which barred women from certain facilities. As a replacement, she had to send a male associate.
Despite her criminal activities, Mafi often shared her glamorous lifestyle on social media, posting pictures next to military hardware and scenes from upscale spas.
She will appear in federal court soon. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars. Cases like hers highlight not only the global arms trade but also the intricate social and political webs that involve regional conflicts.
For more information about U.S. sanctions and the complexities of international arms deals, you can visit the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
