Egyptian TV Host Sentenced to Death for Drug Trafficking
A Cairo court sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and ten co-defendants to death for involvement in a synthetic drug manufacturing ring, with the verdict subject to appeal.
A Cairo criminal court sentenced Sarah Khalifa, 39, the presenter of the Egyptian crime series “Mission Impossible,” to death along with ten other defendants for procuring chemicals used to produce synthetic narcotics with the intent to traffic, according to reports from regional news agencies. Prosecutors said the alleged network imported the precursor materials from abroad, stored them in residential properties and also seized unlicensed firearms. The court ordered the death-penalty recipients to pay a fine of approximately $9,300 each.
Khalifa, who runs a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event-planning business and has a large social-media following, told the court she does not need drug money. She was arrested in April 2025 and, in a separate case, received a three-year prison term for assaulting her driver. Her brother Mohamed was also among those sentenced to death.
The verdict can be appealed, which may lead to a retrial.