CAIRO, Egypt- Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death alongside 11 other people after they were convicted in a major drug manufacturing and trafficking case.
The Cairo Criminal Court delivered the verdict on Saturday after finding the defendants guilty of forming an organised criminal network that imported materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs for trafficking.
Khalifa, 39, and the 11 co-defendants were sentenced to death by hanging.
They were also convicted of possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition, according to Egyptian media reports.
The verdict can be appealed before Egypt’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court for criminal cases.
The court delivered the sentences after referring the cases to Egypt’s Grand Mufti for a religious opinion, a legal requirement in capital cases.
The Mufti’s position is advisory and does not bind the court.
Prosecutors had charged 28 people in connection with the network. Nine defendants were handed life sentences, while seven were acquitted of all charges.
Two suspects remain at large and have been placed on travel bans and watch lists.
The prosecution said members of the group had separate responsibilities, including importing raw materials, manufacturing synthetic narcotics and distributing the finished drugs.
Investigators seized more than 750 kilogrammes of synthetic drugs and materials used in their production.
Residential properties were reportedly used to store the materials and manufacture the narcotics.
The prosecution built its case using testimony from 20 witnesses and technical and digital evidence, including messages, photographs and videos said to document the group’s activities.
Khalifa was arrested in Cairo in April 2025 during investigations into the network. Authorities also placed the defendants’ assets and bank accounts under precautionary measures.
She is best known for presenting Mission Impossible, a television programme focusing on security and crime. Khalifa also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and an events production company.
In a separate case, Khalifa and several others were sentenced to five years in prison over the kidnapping and assault of a young man, according to reports.
Egyptian law allows the death penalty for offences including drug trafficking, terrorism and premeditated murder.
