An Egyptian court has sentenced popular television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others to death over their alleged involvement in the production and trafficking of narcotics.
Khalifa, 39, is a well-known television personality and presenter of Mission Impossible, a programme focused on security and crime-related issues.
According to the state-linked Al-Ahram newspaper, a Cairo court found Khalifa and the other defendants guilty of forming an organised criminal gang involved in procuring materials used to manufacture narcotics for trafficking.
The defendants were also convicted of possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
The court issued the death sentences after seeking the religious opinion of Egypt’s Grand Mufti, as required under Egyptian law in capital punishment cases. However, the verdict remains subject to appeal.
State-run Akhbar Al-Youm reported that the defendants were accused of producing synthetic drugs for trafficking after allegedly importing materials required for their manufacture from outside Egypt.
Authorities reportedly seized more than 750 kilogrammes of narcotics and raw materials during investigations. Two apartments allegedly being used as drug laboratories were also discovered, along with unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Khalifa, who also owns a plastic surgery clinic and a production company involved in organising parties and events, was separately sentenced to five years in prison alongside other defendants in a case involving the alleged kidnapping and assault of a young man.
Egyptian law permits the death penalty for offences including premeditated murder, terrorism, certain rape cases and drug trafficking.
Data from the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms indicated that 541 death sentences were handed down in Egypt in 2025.
