Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa sentenced to death in drug trafficking case
Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa, 39, has been sentenced to death by hanging alongside 11 others in a major synthetic drug trafficking case in Cairo.
The defendants were convicted of forming an organised criminal gang involved in importing materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs, trafficking narcotics, and possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Authorities seized more than 750kg of drugs and raw materials from two apartments allegedly used as laboratories.
Khalifa, who is known for hosting the crime-focused programme Mission Impossible, was arrested in April 2025. She denied the allegations and said she had never used drugs.
The case involved 28 defendants. Nine others were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted. The death sentences were issued after consultation with Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a required step in capital cases, but they remain subject to appeal.
Khalifa also received a separate prison sentence over an assault and filming case.