Egypt sentences TV presenter and 11 others to death in drugs case

Television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants have been sentenced to death by a Cairo court in a major case involving the alleged manufacture and trafficking of narcotics.

The state-linked Al-Ahram newspaper said the court convicted the defendants of forming an organised criminal gang to obtain materials used to manufacture drugs, intending to traffic them, and possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The ruling followed consultation with Egypt’s Grand Mufti, as required in capital cases, and can be appealed.

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Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging on charges of forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, and possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition

State-run Akhbar Al-Youm reported that the defendants were accused of importing materials from abroad to manufacture synthetic drugs. Al-Ahram said authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials. Investigators also found two apartments used as laboratories, along with firearms and ammunition that were not licensed.

Khalifa, 39, is best known for presenting “Mission Impossible”, a programme about security and crime. She also owns a plastic surgery clinic and a company that organises parties and events. The court sentenced her and others to five years in prison in a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man. Egypt applies the death penalty for drug trafficking, among other offences. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms said 541 death sentences were issued in 2025.

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manufacturing synthetic drugs with the intent to traffic them, by importing the materials used in manufacturing from abroad