Egyptian TV presenter among 12 sentenced to death for drug crime
Sarah Khalifa, 39, charged with forming organised criminal gang to manufacture and traffick drugs An Egyptian court sentenced a well-known television presenter and 11 others to death for manufacturing and trafficking narcotics in a sprawling drug case, official media reported on Saturday. The presenter, Sarah Khalifa, 39, is best known for her programme Mission Impossible, which dealt with issues…
A well-known Egyptian television presenter, Sarah Khalifa, 39, has been sentenced to death by a Cairo court alongside 11 others. The charges include forming an organised criminal gang for drug manufacturing and trafficking. The court also found Khalifa guilty of possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The verdict came after the court sought the religious opinion of Egypt's Grand Mufti, as required by law for capital cases.
Khalifa, who hosts a programme on security and crime, owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a production company specialising in events. Authorities seized over 750kg of narcotics and raw materials from the defendants, who were found to have imported materials for manufacturing synthetic drugs abroad. The court also sentenced Khalifa and others to five years in prison for a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man.
Egypt imposes the death penalty for premeditated murder, terrorism, certain rape offences, and drug trafficking. In 2025, Egypt issued 541 death sentences according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.
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