EGYPTIAN TV PRESENTER KHALIFA SENTENCED TO DEATH IN DRUG CASE

A Cairo criminal court sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others to death by hanging after convicting them of drug offences. The court found the defendants guilty of forming an organised criminal gang that procured materials for manufacturing narcotics with intent to traffic them, according to state-linked media reports on Saturday. The court also sentenced nine co-defendants to life imprisonment and acquitted seven others in a case involving 28 defendants total. Khalifa, known for hosting the security and crime programme "Mission Impossible" on private broadcaster Al-Mehwar TV, also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event planning company.

Authorities seized more than 750 kilogrammes of narcotics and raw materials during the investigation, which began with Khalifa's arrest in April 2025. The prosecution alleged the gang imported raw materials from abroad to manufacture synthetic drugs, storing them in residential properties and dividing roles between procurement, manufacturing and distribution. Investigators also recovered unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The court consulted Egypt's Grand Mufti for his religious opinion, a procedure required by law in capital cases. The court separately sentenced Khalifa and others to five years in prison over a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man.

Khalifa denied all charges and told investigators she had never smoked a cigarette, declaring her innocence. During court proceedings, she wept and appealed for mercy, citing her upbringing and her parents' piety. The verdict is subject to appeal before the Court of Cassation, where defendants have two avenues of appeal under recent judicial reforms. According to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, 541 death sentences were issued in Egypt in 2025.