TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others sentenced to death in drug case

What happened

According to state-linked media, a Cairo court issued sentences in a large case concerning the manufacture and distribution of narcotics that involves television presenter Sarah Khalifa, aged 39, and 11 other defendants. Al-Ahram reported that the court imposed death sentences by hanging on Khalifa and the other defendants on charges of forming an organised criminal gang that procured materials used in drug manufacture with the intent to traffic them.

State reports added that the accused were also convicted of possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The verdict followed consultation with Egypt's Grand Mufti for his religious opinion, a step that Egyptian law requires in capital cases.

Press accounts indicate the prosecution alleged the group manufactured synthetic drugs by importing components from abroad and that authorities discovered two apartments used as laboratories.

Why this is happening

Akhbar el-Yom and Al-Ahram say the investigation centered on a network that, according to prosecutors, imported raw materials from overseas to produce synthetic narcotics for distribution. Media coverage cites large seizures made by authorities during the probe.

Published details include reports that more than 750 kg of narcotics and raw materials were seized and that two apartments used as makeshift labs were found. The available reports do not, however, supply a detailed chronology of the searches, a breakdown of the seized quantities, or precise roles attributed to each defendant.

Khalifa is best known as the presenter of the programme Mission Impossible, which addressed security and crime issues; she also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a production company specialising in events. The articles cited do not include direct comments from Khalifa or her legal team.

How it will affect

Verdicts of this kind draw attention to the application of the harshest penalties in Egypt for drug-related crimes; state reports note that capital punishment is applied in Egypt for, among other crimes, drug trafficking. The case arrives amid a broader context in which the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms reported 541 death sentences issued in Egypt in 2025, a figure that may be seen as indicating the scale of capital cases in the country.

The published sources do not detail the potential effect of the sentences on the media sector, public opinion, or diplomatic responses, nor do they indicate whether the defendants will pursue appeals or other legal remedies. There is no available confirmation in the reports about any immediate changes to detention conditions or interim measures pending appeal.

Claims about the scale of the seizures—more than 750 kg in total—could, if upheld in court, form the factual basis for stern judicial responses to similar criminal activity. Yet the accounts lack a forensic breakdown tying specific quantities to individual defendants, leaving gaps in the public record.

What next

Under Egyptian procedure, consultation with the Grand Mufti is part of capital-case practice; state media say that step preceded the verdict, but they do not publish the content of the mufti’s opinion or indicate how it influenced the court's decision. The court's ruling, as reported, stands pending any further legal action by the defendants.

The reports also note an additional criminal judgement: Khalifa and others received five-year prison terms in a separate case accusing them of kidnapping and assaulting a young man. The available coverage does not provide fuller details of that case, including timelines or evidence presented at trial.

Public reporting referenced here contains no quoted responses from rights groups or legal defence representatives about the new sentences, so it remains unclear whether international or domestic organisations will lodge appeals, seek retrials, or comment publicly on the strength of the evidence. Future reporting may clarify whether formal appeals are filed or whether prosecutors will offer further information.