Aden – A federal court in Virginia has handed down a severe 40-year prison sentence to Muhammad Pahlawan, a Pakistani national convicted of orchestrating a high-risk arms smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. Navy SEALs.

The ruling marks one of the harshest penalties issued in recent years for maritime weapons trafficking tied to Middle Eastern conflicts. Pahlawan, 49, was arrested in January 2024 during a nighttime raid in the Arabian Sea conducted by U.S. forces.

He was captaining a vessel allegedly owned by an Iranian national and used to transport Iranian-made weapons—including ballistic missile components—intended for Houthi militants in Yemen. The operation turned tragic when two Navy SEALs drowned while attempting to board the vessel under cover of darkness.

Prosecutors emphasized the deadly consequences of Pahlawan’s actions, arguing that his role in the smuggling network directly endangered U.S. personnel and fueled regional instability. Court documents revealed that Pahlawan hailed from Abdul Hakim village in Khanewal, Pakistan, and had been operating under the guise of a fisherman. The crew aboard the vessel claimed ignorance of the cargo’s true nature, but investigators found evidence of Iranian drone components and other lethal materiel onboard.

Despite pleas for leniency from his defense team, the judge cited the gravity of the offense and the loss of American lives in delivering the maximum sentence. The verdict sends a strong message about the U.S. government’s stance on international arms trafficking and its commitment to protecting military personnel. The case has drawn attention from both regional and international observers, highlighting the complex web of actors involved in supplying weapons to conflict zones and the risks faced by enforcement agencies in intercepting such shipments.