Egypt TV Presenter, 11 Others Sentenced to Death in Major Drugs Case

A Cairo criminal court has sentenced Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging after finding them guilty of belonging to an organized criminal network involved in manufacturing and trafficking synthetic narcotics. The ruling, delivered on Saturday, is one of the country’s highest-profile drug convictions in recent years and can still be challenged through Egypt’s appeals process.

Khalifa, 39, is widely known in Egypt for hosting the crime and security programme Mission Impossible. Prosecutors accused her of helping finance and coordinate a sophisticated drug operation that allegedly imported chemical ingredients, produced synthetic narcotics inside Cairo apartments converted into laboratories, and distributed the drugs for commercial sale. Khalifa has consistently denied the allegations.

According to court findings reported by state-linked Egyptian media, the case involved 28 defendants in total. Besides the 12 death sentences, nine people received life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted. Two additional suspects remain at large. Authorities said investigators seized more than 750 kilograms of synthetic drugs and raw materials, along with unlicensed firearms and ammunition, during raids linked to the alleged network.

The death penalty ruling followed consultation with Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a mandatory legal step in capital cases under Egyptian law. While the Mufti’s opinion is advisory rather than binding, courts must complete the procedure before confirming a capital sentence. Khalifa’s lawyer has said the verdict will be appealed.

During earlier court proceedings, Khalifa rejected the prosecution’s claims, telling judges she had never used drugs and insisting she first encountered the seized narcotics only after her arrest. Prosecutors, however, relied on witness testimony, electronic communications and video evidence, arguing that the defendants operated as a structured criminal organization with distinct financial and logistical roles.

The television presenter’s legal troubles extend beyond the narcotics case. In a separate trial, the court also sentenced Khalifa and several co-defendants to five years in prison over the kidnapping and assault of a young man, although that conviction is legally distinct from the drug trafficking proceedings.

Egypt maintains one of the Middle East’s toughest criminal justice systems for narcotics offences. The death penalty is permitted for crimes including premeditated murder, terrorism and certain drug trafficking offences, though international human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the country’s extensive use of capital punishment and raised concerns over due process in some cases.

The case has drawn exceptional public attention because it involves a well-known media personality whose career centred on crime reporting. As the appeals process begins, it also reignites debate over Egypt’s uncompromising approach to organized drug crime and the continued use of the death penalty in high-profile criminal prosecutions.