Egyptian TV presenter sentenced to death in major drug case

What the report says

An Egyptian court in Cairo has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging in a major drug-trafficking case, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing state-linked media. The case involved 28 defendants in total, and the court also handed life sentences to nine others while acquitting seven people.

The ruling stems from allegations that the group formed an organised network to obtain materials used in making narcotics, then manufactured and distributed synthetic drugs. Prosecutors said the operation imported raw materials from abroad and used residential properties to store and produce the drugs. Authorities also said they seized unlicensed firearms and ammunition in the investigation. Al Jazeera reported that the court consulted Egypt’s grand mufti, a required step in capital cases, before issuing the verdict.

Khalifa, 39, is known in Egypt for hosting the security and crime programme Mission Impossible on Al-Mehwar TV. She also ran a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event-planning company and had a large social media following. Al Jazeera said she denied the charges. The case matters because Egypt retains the death penalty for drug trafficking and other serious crimes, and the verdict may still be appealed through the country’s court system.

The article also noted that Khalifa was arrested in April 2025 during the investigation. In a separate case on the same day, the same court sentenced her to three years in prison over allegations of assaulting and filming her driver.