An Egyptian court has sentenced well-known television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others to death by hanging in a major drug trafficking case, according to state-linked media.
Khalifa, 39, is best known for hosting Mission Impossible, a television programme that focused on security and crime-related issues. She also owns a plastic surgery clinic and a production company specialising in organising parties and events.
A Cairo court sentenced Khalifa and the other defendants after finding them guilty of forming an organised criminal gang allegedly involved in procuring materials used to manufacture narcotics for trafficking.
The charges also included the possession and carrying of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
The court’s decision came after it consulted Egypt’s Grand Mufti for his religious opinion, a procedure required under Egyptian law in capital cases.
The death sentence is not yet final and remains subject to appeal.
According to state-run Akhbar Al-Youm, the defendants were accused of manufacturing synthetic drugs with the intention of trafficking them, allegedly importing the materials required for production from abroad.
Authorities reportedly seized more than 750 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials during the investigation. Two apartments allegedly being used as drug laboratories were also discovered, alongside unlicensed firearms and ammunition, Al-Ahram reported.
The court also sentenced Khalifa and some of the other defendants to five years in prison in a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man.
Egypt applies the death penalty for several serious offences, including premeditated murder, terrorism, certain rape offences and drug trafficking.
The case comes amid continued scrutiny of capital punishment in Egypt. According to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, 541 death sentences were issued in the country in 2025.
For Khalifa and the other defendants, however, Saturday’s ruling marks the beginning of another stage in the legal process, as the death sentences remain open to appeal.
