Egyptian television host sentenced to death in drug case

Egyptian television host Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants have been sentenced to death in a case involving drugs and illegal weapons, according to Egyptian media with links to the state, cited by AFP.

Khalifa, 39, hosted “Mission Impossible,” a program covering security and crime. She also owns a plastic surgery clinic and a party-planning company. The verdict remains subject to appeal.

The state-controlled newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm reported that the case involves more than 750 kilograms of synthetic drugs. Investigators also found laboratories and illegal weapons in two apartments, according to the report.

Khalifa faces a separate five-year prison sentence with several others for kidnapping and assaulting a young man. BBC reported that a court had already decided a month earlier that the 12 defendants should receive death sentences in the drug case.

Egyptian law requires courts to consult the country’s grand mufti, Nazir Ayyad, whenever the death penalty is used. The grand mufti is Egypt’s highest religious authority. BBC reported that Khalifa denies the charges. Akhbar Al-Youm said she told the court she had never seen drugs in real life until Egyptian authorities photographed her with the seized substances.

Amnesty International’s latest report said 492 people were sentenced to death in Egypt in 2025 and 23 were executed.