Egyptian TV presenter sentenced to death in drugs case

A court in Cairo, Egypt has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and ten others to death by hanging, following their conviction on drug charges. The Cairo criminal court found the defendants guilty of forming an organized criminal gang involved in procuring materials for making narcotics, with the intention to traffic them.

The state-run Al-Ahram outlet reported the verdict. In addition to Khalifa, nine co-defendants were given life sentences, while seven others were acquitted. The case involved 28 defendants and over 750kg of narcotics. Khalifa, 39, is renowned for hosting the security and crime program "Mission Impossible" on the private Al-Mehwar TV channel.

She was also a businesswoman, operating a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event planning company, and had a substantial social media following of more than two million Instagram fans. Khalifa denied the charges, stating she had "never smoked a cigarette in my life" and asserting her innocence. Egyptian media reported that she was sobbing and pleading for mercy during the hearing, saying, "Please listen to me, sir.

My parents raised me well; they are people who pray, and I don’t need drug money." Prosecutors alleged that the gang imported raw materials from abroad to manufacture synthetic drugs, which were stored in private residences. The members of the gang were assigned roles including procurement, manufacturing, and distribution, according to the authorities.