An Egyptian court sentenced a well-known television presenter and 11 others to death for manufacturing and trafficking narcotics in a sprawling drug case.
The presented, Sarah Khalifa, 39, is best known for her programme Mission Impossible, which aired with issues concerning security and crime.
The Cairo criminal court issued the death sentences after the defendants were found guilty of forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, the state-linked Al-Ahram outlet reported on Saturday.
The court also sentenced nine co-defendants to life imprisonment and acquitted seven others in a case that involved 28 defendants and more than 750kg of narcotics.
Khalifa was also a business owner, running a cosmetic surgery clinic an event planning company, and maintained a significant social media presence with over two million Instagram followers.
Khalifa denied the charged and told investigators she had “never smoked a cigarette in my life” and declared her innocence.
Khalifa was arrested in April 2025 as part of the investigation. In the same case on Saturday, the same court sentenced her to three years in prison for assaulting and filming her driver.
Egypt imposes the death penalty for drug trafficking, terrorism and pre-meditated murder. Khalifa also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a production company that specializes in organizing parties and events.
The case has attracted attention because of the presenter’s public profile and the seriousness of the allegations.
-9News Nigeria.
