Egypt sentences well-known television host and 11 others to death for drug trafficking

Sarah Khalifa, a well-known television presenter and social media influencer, has been sentenced to death in Egypt along with 11 other people in a major drug-trafficking case.

Khalifa, 39, was arrested in April 2025, drawing widespread attention because of her public profile. More than 2.5 million people followed her on Instagram. She also owned a business and hosted “Mission Difficult,” a program about security and crime on the private Al-Mehwar channel.

According to Al-Ahram, the Cairo criminal court convicted Khalifa and the other defendants of forming a criminal organization that imported substances used to manufacture drugs for sale. The court also convicted them of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, state-linked media reported.

Authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of drugs and raw materials, along with tools and machinery, from two apartments allegedly used as laboratories. Khalifa is accused of leading a group of about 30 people that imported the ingredients for synthetic drugs and flooded the market. Al-Ahram reported that the abundance of locally made narcotics had driven drug prices down.

Egyptian law allows the death penalty for drug trafficking. The defendants can appeal the sentence. If an appeal is accepted, the trial begins again from the start.