Cairo
Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted on drug trafficking charges, according to the state-owned al-Ahram newspaper.
The court found that Khalifa, 39, and her co-defendants were part of a criminal gang that imported the ingredients used to manufacture narcotics with intent to sell them. The group was also found to have been in possession of illegal firearms and munitions.
Khalifa is best known for hosting the television programme Mission Impossible, which focused on crime issues. She has denied the charges against her, and her lawyer has said she will appeal the death sentence.
Of the remaining defendants, nine were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted.
The verdict was first announced last month but was only confirmed this week, after the court obtained a religious opinion from the Grand Mufti of Egypt, a legal requirement in death penalty cases.
During the trial, the court heard that authorities had seized more than 750 kilograms (1,653 lbs) of narcotics along with the imported raw materials used to produce them. Prosecutors said 20 witnesses had given statements, in addition to electronic evidence that included recorded conversations and video clips, al-Ahram reported.
According to the state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper, when questioned 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 offices of the anti-narcotics authority.
The case has drawn renewed attention to Egypt’s use of capital punishment. A 2025 Amnesty International report recorded 492 death sentences issued in Egypt over the course of the year, of which 23 were carried out. The report noted that defendants in some cases were convicted of offences such as drug trafficking and rape, crimes that it said “did not amount to ‘intentional killing,’ to which the use of the death penalty must be restricted under international law and standards.”