Egypt Sentences TV Presenter Sarah Khalifa, 11 Others To Death Over Drug Case.

Egypt Sentences TV Presenter Sarah Khalifa, 11 Others To Death Over Drug Case.

Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted in a major drug-manufacturing and trafficking case in Cairo.

The Cairo Criminal Court handed down the sentences on Saturday after finding the defendants guilty of forming an organised criminal group involved in obtaining materials used to manufacture synthetic narcotics for trafficking. The case also involved charges of possessing firearms and ammunition without license.

Khalifa, 39, is a familiar face on Egyptian television. She is best known for hosting Mission Impossible, a programme focused on security and crime. Her conviction has drawn particular attention because of her public profile. Khalifa has denied the charges and maintained that she was not involved in the alleged drug operation.

The case involved 28 defendants in total. Prosecutors said the group operated through different roles, including importing raw materials, manufacturing the drugs and preparing them for distribution.

Authorities said they seized more than 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and materials used in their production while investigators also reportedly found two apartments allegedly being used as laboratories, along with unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Prosecutors relied on statements from 20 witnesses as well as technical and digital evidence, including messages, photographs and videos which they said documented the defendants' activities.

Khalifa was arrested in Cairo in April 2025.

The death sentences came after the case was referred to Egypt's Grand Mufti for his opinion, a required step in capital cases. The Mufti's opinion is advisory, and the court subsequently confirmed the sentences.

However, the verdict is not final. Khalifa and the other defendants sentenced to death can appeal to Egypt's Court of Cassation. Nine other defendants received life sentences, while seven were acquitted, bringing the total number of defendants in the case to 28.

Khalifa also received a separate prison sentence in another case heard by the same court.

The case is among the latest to highlight Egypt's continued use of the death penalty for serious offences, including drug trafficking.