LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging after a Cairo court convicted her of leading a criminal gang involved in the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs.
The 39-year-old was sentenced alongside 11 other defendants in a case involving a large-scale drug operation.
Egyptian state-owned media, al-Ahram newspaper reported that the drug case involved more than 750kg of narcotics, drug-making materials. Illegal firearms and ammunition were also recovered from secret laboratories linked to the operation.
The court heard that the group imported raw materials used to manufacture synthetic narcotics for sale.
Khalifa, who is known for hosting the crime-focused television programme Mission Impossible, has denied the allegations against her.
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She is also reported to own a clinic and an events company.
Of the 28 defendants in the case, 12 were sentenced to death, nine received life imprisonment and seven were acquitted.
Khalifa’s lawyer has said the presenter will appeal the death sentence.
The verdict was initially announced last month but was formally confirmed after the court received a religious opinion from Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a required step in death penalty cases.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that more than 750kg of narcotics and the raw materials used to manufacture them.
Twenty witnesses reportedly gave evidence to prosecutors, while electronic evidence, including conversations and video clips, was also presented to the court.
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Khalifa had previously rejected claims linking her to the drugs.
During a court appearance in September 2025, she reportedly told the judge that she had never seen drugs until she was photographed with them inside the offices of the anti-narcotics authority.
The case has drawn attention to Egypt’s strict approach to drug-related offences, particularly because of the scale of the alleged operation.
However, the use of the death penalty has also attracted criticism from rights groups.
Amnesty International reported that Egypt issued 492 death sentences in 2025, with 23 executions carried out during the year.
The organization has also criticized death sentences imposed for offences that did not involve intentional killing, arguing that such punishment falls outside international standards governing the use of the death penalty.
