A Pakistani arms trafficker has been sentenced to 40 years behind bars following the deaths of two American Navy SEALs during a night raid in the Arabian Sea.
According to Task & Purpose, in a federal courtroom on Thursday, Muhammad Pahlawan was handed his sentence for his role in a deadly January 2024 smuggling operation that resulted in the drowning of two elite U.S. service members during a high-risk boarding mission.
Pahlawan captained an unmarked dhow carrying advanced Iranian missile parts bound for Yemen’s Houthi rebels — a shipment aimed at fueling one of America's most dangerous adversaries.
Deadly Mission Off the Coast of Somalia
The tragedy unfolded on the night of January 11, when Navy SEALs and U.S. Coast Guard personnel conducted a maritime interdiction off the coast of Somalia in turbulent, unforgiving waters.
Chief Special Warfare Operator Christopher Chambers, 37, lost his footing amid unstable conditions while boarding the vessel and plunged into the sea, burdened by heavy gear he couldn’t shed in time. Fellow SEAL, 27-year-old Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Nathan Gage Ingram, dived in to attempt a rescue — an act of courage that cost him his life, too.
SEALs Declared Dead After Ten-Day Search
The U.S. Navy mounted a relentless search lasting ten days, but was ultimately forced to declare the SEALs deceased. An investigation later cited the loss as entirely avoidable.
According to the Navy's findings, the men were sent into hostile waters without adequate flotation or proper buoyancy gear — oversights that proved fatal in conditions described by one operator as, “everything is slippery, it’s dark, everything is moving.” Another SEAL, speaking to Task & Purpose, put it more bluntly: “It’s the sketchiest thing I did in the teams.” That says a lot, given the job description.
Smuggler’s Plot Tied to Iran and the Houthis
The boarding team discovered that Pahlawan’s boat was loaded with a disturbing haul: Iranian-made ballistic and anti-ship missile components, along with a warhead intended for Houthi forces.
He wasn’t just a rogue captain, either. Evidence showed Pahlawan was working with two Iranian brothers in a long-running operation to supply the Houthis — a key proxy of Tehran’s ambitions in the region — with weapons of war since at least 2023. The smuggling run was clearly more than just a one-off job. It was part of a broader design to destabilize critical shipping lanes and threaten American lives and allies in the region.
Defiant Actions During the Raid
During the raid, Pahlawan made no effort to avoid confrontation. In fact, he instructed his crew to set the boat ablaze — a last-ditch attempt to destroy evidence that failed spectacularly. He went as far as lying to American forces, denying that he was the captain when confronted. It didn’t work. Fourteen individuals were detained by U.S. forces and transferred to the expeditionary base ship USS Lewis B. Puller, putting an end to the operation but not the cost.
Conviction on Sweeping Charges
A jury found Pahlawan guilty in June on an array of charges, from conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist group to aiding the development of weapons of mass destruction.
He was also convicted of threatening his own crew, tampering with witnesses, and participating in schemes to harm maritime shipping — a chilling reminder that enemies of the United States are not just on distant borders but moving across international waters with malign intent. This wasn’t a misunderstanding or a smuggler looking to make a quick buck. It was a calculated attempt to arm militants who chant “Death to America,” and two patriots paid the ultimate price.
Honoring Heroism Amid System Failure
Ingram’s act of valor wasn’t forgotten. He was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for attempting to save his teammate — a fitting but bittersweet acknowledgment. The Navy's internal review underscored what many feared: that institutional lapses in training and equipment directly contributed to the outcome that night. Heroes deserve better planning, not post-mortem apologies.
What this verdict really shows is that justice can be served — even on the high seas — but it should never come after such terrible loss. It’s time to fix what went wrong.
