An Egyptian court has sentenced well-known television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others to death by hanging over drug manufacturing and trafficking charges, according to official media reports.
Khalifa, 39, is best known for hosting Mission Impossible, a television programme focused on security and crime-related issues.
The state-linked Al-Ahram newspaper reported that a Cairo court sentenced “Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging on charges of forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, and possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition”.
The ruling followed the court’s consultation with Egypt’s Grand Mufti for a religious opinion, a procedure required under Egyptian law in capital cases.
The verdict remains subject to appeal.
Khalifa, who also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a production company specialising in organising parties and events, was among those accused of involvement in the alleged drug operation.
According to the state-run Akhbar el-Yom newspaper, the defendants were charged with “manufacturing synthetic drugs with the intent to traffic them, by importing the materials used in manufacturing from abroad”.
Authorities reportedly seized more than 750 kilogrammes of narcotics and raw materials during investigations into the case.
Al-Ahram said two apartments allegedly used as drug laboratories were also discovered, alongside unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
The court additionally sentenced Khalifa and other defendants to five years in prison in a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man.
Egypt imposes the death penalty for offences including premeditated murder, terrorism, certain rape offences and drug trafficking.
Data from the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms showed that 541 death sentences were issued in Egypt in 2025.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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