Sarah Khalifa, a 39-year-old Egyptian television presenter, and eleven other people were sentenced to death by hanging by a Cairo court in Egypt for involvement in the manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs. The ruling was announced on Saturday, the 5th, by the Egyptian state press.
Known for the television program “Mission Impossible,” about security and crime, Khalifa was convicted of forming a criminal organization specialized in acquiring materials used in the manufacture of drugs for later sale. She was also accused of possession and bearing firearms and ammunition without a license.
According to the state newspaper Al-Ahram, authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of drugs and precursors used in the production of narcotics. Two apartments that would function as laboratories were found, as well as weapons and unlicensed ammunition. According to Akhbar el-Yom, the materials used in drug manufacturing were imported from abroad.
The sentence was issued after the court consulted the Grand Mufti of Egypt, the authority responsible for issuing religious opinions in death penalty cases. The consultation is required by Egyptian law before capital sentences are confirmed.
Khalifa denies the charges and may appeal the decision. According to the local press, her lawyer already announced that he intends to file an appeal. During a testimony to the court in September 2025, the presenter stated that she had never seen drugs before she was photographed with narcotics inside the facilities of the counter-narcotics authorities.
The accusation would have been based on 20 witness statements and electronic evidence, including recorded conversations and videos.
In addition to the drug trafficking convictions, Khalifa and others involved received five years in prison in a separate case dealing with the kidnapping and assault of a young man. The court acquitted seven of the accused and sentenced another nine to life imprisonment, according to the BBC.
