A Cairo court imposed capital sentences on Khalifa and 11 co-defendants after convicting them of organized drug manufacturing and trafficking offenses.
CAIRO — Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants were sentenced to death by hanging Saturday after a Cairo criminal court convicted them in a large synthetic-drug manufacturing and trafficking case that involved 28 defendants, according to Egyptian state-linked media and international news reports.
The Sept. 5 ruling followed months of court proceedings over allegations that the defendants formed an organized criminal group that obtained materials used to manufacture synthetic narcotics for sale. Al-Ahram reported that the defendants sentenced to death were also convicted of offenses involving the possession and carrying of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Nine other defendants were sentenced to life in prison, while seven were acquitted.
Prosecutors said the organization obtained raw materials from outside Egypt and divided responsibility for the operation among its members. Some defendants were accused of securing the materials, others of manufacturing synthetic narcotics and others of distributing the finished drugs. Investigators said residential property was used to store materials and manufacture narcotics. The prosecution described the operation as an organized network rather than a series of unrelated drug offenses.
Authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and raw materials connected to their production, according to Al-Ahram and other Egyptian reports. Investigators also recovered firearms and ammunition that authorities said were possessed without licenses. The prosecution said its case relied on statements from 20 witnesses as well as technical and digital evidence, including electronic conversations, photographs and video recordings that investigators said documented activities tied to the group.
Khalifa is a television personality and producer known for presenting “Mission Impossible,” a program focused on crime and security issues. She has also been reported as operating a cosmetic surgery clinic and a company involved in event production. She was arrested in Cairo in April 2025 as authorities investigated the drug case. Khalifa denied involvement in the alleged network throughout the proceedings and maintained that she was innocent.
During an earlier court appearance, Khalifa disputed the prosecution’s account and said she had not encountered the drugs before being photographed with them at an anti-narcotics office, according to reporting that cited the state-run Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper. At the sentencing proceeding, she again protested her innocence and became emotional. Video and media reports quoted her saying, “I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life,” as she rejected the accusations against her.
The death sentences were formally issued after the case was referred to Egypt’s Grand Mufti for a religious opinion. Consultation with the Grand Mufti is a required procedural step before an Egyptian criminal court can impose a death sentence. The mufti’s view is advisory and does not bind the court. After receiving the opinion, the Cairo court confirmed the capital sentences against Khalifa and the 11 other defendants.
Al-Ahram reported that each of the defendants sentenced to death was also fined 500,000 Egyptian pounds. The same court proceedings resulted in life terms for nine defendants and acquittals for seven. Prosecutors had referred all 28 defendants for trial on allegations involving the procurement, manufacture and trafficking of narcotics and related weapons offenses. Authorities also moved during the investigation to identify defendants’ property and bank accounts and to restrict the travel of suspects who remained at large.
The prosecution’s account said members of the alleged organization performed different tasks at separate stages of the operation. Authorities described imported manufacturing materials, storage locations and drug-production sites as parts of the same network. The National reported that prosecutors relied not only on physical seizures but also on messages, photographs and videos. Khalifa’s defense position remained that she was not involved in the criminal activity attributed to the group.
The case has received substantial attention in Egypt because of Khalifa’s public profile and the severity of the sentences. Her television work had included coverage of security and crime, while she maintained a large following on social media. The court’s ruling placed her among 12 defendants facing capital punishment while drawing renewed attention to Egypt’s use of the death penalty for serious drug-trafficking offenses.
The ruling does not end the legal process. Khalifa and the other defendants sentenced to death have the right to challenge the judgment through Egypt’s appeals system, including review by the Court of Cassation. As of Sept. 6, no execution date had been announced, and further judicial proceedings would be required before the sentences could be carried out.
Author note: Last updated September 6, 2026.