Egyptian court sentences TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others to death for drug charges

A court in Egypt has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people to death by hanging after convicting them of drug charges.

The Cairo criminal court issued the death sentences after the defendants were found guilty of forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, the state-linked Al-Ahram outlet reported on Saturday.

The court also sentenced nine co-defendants to life imprisonment and acquitted seven others in a case that involved 28 defendants and more than 750kg of narcotics.

Khalifa, 39, is best known for hosting the security and crime programme “Mission Impossible”, which aired on the private Al-Mehwar TV channel.

Khalifa was also a business owner, running a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event planning company, and maintained a significant social media presence with over two million Instagram followers.

Khalifa denied the charges and told investigators she had “never smoked a cigarette in my life” and declared her innocence.

Egyptian media reported that she was weeping and crying during the session, asking the court for mercy: “Please listen to me, sir. My parents raised me well; they are people who pray, and I don’t need drug money”

Prosecutors said the gang imported raw materials from abroad to manufacture synthetic drugs, storing them in residential properties. Members divided roles between procurement, manufacturing and distribution, authorities said. Investigators seized unlicensed firearms and ammunition alongside the narcotics.

The prosecution said the group used a residential property to store the materials and manufacture the drugs.

The verdict, issued after the court consulted Egypt’s grand mufti for his non-binding religious opinion as required by law in capital cases, can be appealed before the Court of Cassation. Under recent judicial reforms, defendants have two avenues of appeal, beginning with a request for retrial before an appeals court.

Khalifa was arrested in April 2025 as part of the investigation. In a separate case on Saturday, the same court sentenced her to three years in prison for assaulting and filming her driver.

Egypt imposes the death penalty for drug trafficking, terrorism and premeditated murder.