Egypt Sentences TV Presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 Others to Death in Drug Case

​An Egyptian criminal court has sentenced television presenter and producer Sarah Khalifa along with 11 co-defendants to death by hanging, concluding a high-profile narcotics trial that has gripped the country.

​The Cairo court handed down the capital sentences following convictions for operating an organized criminal network that imported raw materials from abroad to manufacture synthetic drugs for commercial distribution. According to state-linked media reports, investigators seized over 750 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials, uncovering two residential apartments that had been converted into clandestine drug laboratories. The defendants were additionally convicted of possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

​Khalifa, 39, is widely recognized in Egypt for hosting the crime-focused television program Mission Impossible, alongside her business ventures in event production and cosmetic surgery. Throughout the legal proceedings, she maintained her innocence, claiming she had no prior knowledge of the illicit substances. In addition to the narcotics convictions, Khalifa and several co-defendants faced concurrent prison terms, including a separate sentence handed down for an assault and kidnapping investigation that surfaced during the broader probe.

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​The verdict was finalized following a mandatory referral to Egypt’s Grand Mufti, whose advisory religious opinion is required by law prior to the confirmation of any death sentence. Legal representation for the defendants retains the right to appeal the verdict before the Court of Cassation, meaning the sentences are not yet legally final or immediately enforceable.

​The ruling underscores the severity of Egypt’s legal framework regarding large-scale narcotics operations, where the manufacture and trafficking of major drug quantities carry potential capital punishment under national statutes.