A glamorous Iranian businesswoman with a US green card was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, accused of brokering multimillion-dollar arms deals on behalf of Tehran, including Iranian-made drones, bombs and millions of rounds of ammunition destined for Sudan.

Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, California, was taken into custody just as she was about to board a flight to Istanbul. She now faces federal charges that could land her in prison for up to 20 years.

Among the deals prosecutors have outlined was a contract worth more than $70 million for Iranian-made Mohajer-6 armed drones sourced from Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. Those drones, along with 55,000 bomb fuses, were transferred to Sudan's Ministry of Defense, which has been fighting a bloody civil war since 2023.

"She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. ยง 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan," First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said Sunday, as per a report from New York Post.

Prosecutors also allege that Mafi deliberately routed transactions through Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to avoid detection by US authorities.

The backstory behind that arrangement is striking. According to court documents, Tehran seized properties Mafi had inherited from her father in 2020. The MOIS then allegedly told her to open a US-based business as a condition of buying those properties back, and offered to cover her startup costs.

Mafi told investigators she had never been directed by Iranian intelligence to carry out any activities on Tehran's behalf inside the United States. She also reportedly told authorities she believed she was "more useful" to the MOIS inside Iran than in the US.

Prosecutors noted that Mafi had no legal authority to oversee arms transactions of this nature.

GetLatest NewsLive on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines fromUS Newsand around theWorld.

Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now