Egyptian TV Presenter and 11 Others Sentenced to Death in Major Drug Case

A Cairo court has sentenced 12 individuals, including prominent Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa, to death by hanging for their involvement in a drug manufacturing and trafficking operation. Official media reported the ruling on Saturday following a consultation with Egypt's Grand Mufti, a legal requirement in the country for capital punishment cases.

Khalifa, 39, gained prominence as the host of Mission Impossible, a television show focusing on crime and security issues. In addition to her media career, she owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event production business.

Charges and Evidence

According to the state-linked newspaper Al-Ahram, the defendants were convicted of establishing an organized criminal syndicate tasked with obtaining raw materials to produce synthetic narcotics for distribution. State-run outlet Akhbar el-Yom noted that the group imported precursor chemicals from abroad to manufacture the illicit drugs.

Law enforcement authorities confiscated more than 750 kilograms of illicit substances and precursor chemicals during the investigation. Investigators also uncovered two residential apartments that had been converted into laboratories, alongside unlicensed firearms and ammunition held by the group.

Additional Convictions and Legal Context

In addition to the drug trafficking sentence, the court handed Khalifa and several co-defendants a five-year prison term in a separate case linked to the abduction and physical assault of a young man.

Capital punishment in Egypt is legally applicable to severe offenses, including premeditated murder, terrorism, certain rape charges, and drug trafficking. Figures from the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms indicate that Egyptian courts handed down 541 death sentences in 2025.