Sarah Khalifa sentenced to death in Egypt drug case

Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging after a Cairo court found her guilty of taking part in an organisation involved in making and trafficking synthetic drugs.

Khalifa, 39, received the sentence alongside 11 other defendants in a case Egyptian media have called the “major narcotics” case. Nine other defendants were sentenced to life in prison, while seven were acquitted. A total of 28 people were brought before the courts in the case.

Egypt’s prosecution argued during the trial that the defendants had formed a criminal organisation to obtain abroad the raw materials used to make synthetic drugs, bring them into Egypt and manufacture the narcotics. The supplied description ends while outlining the prosecution’s case.

Khalifa is known in Egypt for presenting “Mission Impossible,” a programme dealing with security and crime. She has also worked as a producer and businesswoman.