Presenter from Egypt Sarah Khalifa and 11 others have been sentenced to death for their involvement in drug trafficking

Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa, along with 11 others, has received a death sentence for their involvement in the manufacturing and trafficking of synthetic drugs.

An Egyptian court has sentenced prominent television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others to death by hanging on charges of drug manufacturing and trafficking, as reported by official media sources.

Khalifa, 39, is widely recognized for his role as the host of Mission Impossible, a television program that dives into security and crime-related topics.

The state-linked Al-Ahram newspaper reported that a Cairo court sentenced Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging on charges of forming an organized criminal gang specializing in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, and possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

The ruling came after the court sought a religious opinion from Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a step mandated by Egyptian law in capital cases.

The verdict is still open to appeal.

Khalifa, who owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a production company that specializes in organizing parties and events, was among those accused of involvement in the alleged drug operation.

As reported by the state-run Akhbar el-Yom newspaper, the defendants faced charges of “manufacturing synthetic drugs with the intent to traffic them by importing the materials used in manufacturing from abroad.”

Authorities have reportedly confiscated over 750 kilogrammes of narcotics and raw materials while investigating the case.

Al-Ahram reported that authorities uncovered two apartments purportedly used as drug laboratories, along with unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

The court also imposed a five-year prison sentence on Khalifa and other defendants in a separate case concerning the kidnapping and assault of a young man.

Egypt enforces the death penalty for crimes such as premeditated murder, terrorism, specific rape offenses, and drug trafficking.

Data from the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms indicated that in 2025, Egypt issued 541 death sentences.