TV presenter among 12 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case

She has denied the charges and will appeal the death sentence

As per al-Ahram newspaper, which is state-owned, television presenter Sarah Khalifa and the others were part of a criminal gang.

The newspaper reported that they imported ingredients which are used to make drugs with the intent of selling them.

The 39-year-old presenter is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible, which dealt with crime issues.

The presenter with a big social media presence

She is also known as a business owner, running a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event planning company, and maintained a significant social media presence with over two million Instagram followers.

Image credit: Sarah Khalifa Instagram account

Khalifa has denied the charges, the Egyptian newspaper reported, while her lawyer said that she would appeal the death sentence.

While seven have been acquitted, nine fellow defendants have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

The verdict was first announced in August, but the court obtained a religious opinion from the grand mufti of Egypt, which is a legal requirement in death sentence cases.

The court heard during the trial that authorities had seized more than 750kg (1,653lbs) of narcotics and the imported raw materials to make them.

Al-Ahram newspaper reported that twenty witnesses had given statements to the prosecutors, in addition to electronic evidence that included conversations and video clips.

Meanwhile, the state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper reported that when asked by the judge about her alleged role during a court appearance last September, Khalifa said she had never seen any drugs until she was photographed with them inside the anti-narcotics authority offices.

In its annual report on death sentences and executions published on May 18, 2026, Amnesty International said Egypt nearly doubled its recorded executions in 2025 and handed down 492 death sentences.

Egypt executed 23 people last year, up from 13 in 2024, according to the report.