A court in Cairo, Egypt, sentenced Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa, 39, along with 11 others, to death for financing and coordinating a network dedicated to the manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs.
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The ruling, issued on Saturday, corresponds to one of the most significant drug trafficking cases in recent years in Egypt, according to The Guardian.
Khalifa hosts the security and crime program Mission Impossible on the private channel Al-Mehwar. She is also the owner of a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event production company.
Of the 28 defendants who faced trial, nine received life sentences and seven were acquitted. The 12 sentenced to death, including Khalifa’s brother Mohamed, must also pay a fine of 500,000 Egyptian pounds, about 9,800 dollars.
The verdict was issued after the court referred Khalifa’s file and those of 12 other defendants to the Grand Mufti of Egypt, the highest religious-legal authority. This procedure is required by Egyptian law before imposing the death penalty.
However, the mufti’s opinion is advisory and not binding. Of the 13 defendants consulted, 12 ended up sentenced to death.
The state newspaper Al-Ahram reported that the court sentenced “Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging for forming a criminal organized gang specialized in acquiring materials for the manufacture of narcotics, with the intention of trafficking them, and for possession and carrying of firearms and ammunition without a license.”
However, according to Euronews, Khalifa’s lawyer, Mohamed El Gendy, announced that the defense will file an appeal and will exhaust all available legal avenues.
A higher criminal instance can reexamine the evidence and the role of each defendant, and uphold, reduce, or annul the sentences, with the possibility of a final appeal before the Court of Cassation of Egypt.
Egyptian media described that the case initially revolved around the manufacture of hashish. However, forensic evidence presented during the trial identified the substances as synthetic cannabinoids, specifically MDMB-4en-PINACA, a lab-made compound that mimics the effects of cannabis, although it can be considerably more potent and unpredictable.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime describes this compound as a synthetic cannabinoid under international control since 2021, following a recommendation from the World Health Organization due to its severe adverse effects, including psychosis, seizures, heart and kidney problems, and deaths associated with its use.
A technical committee determined that the substance was not listed among Egypt’s controlled narcotics but considered it covered by the country’s legislation due to its chemical similarity to substances already included. The defense challenged this interpretation, but the court ultimately accepted the committee’s conclusions.
The case began in April 2025, when Egypt’s anti-drug authorities said they had uncovered a network importing precursors to manufacture synthetic drugs. Egyptian police raided two apartments in Cairo and seized nearly 200 kilograms of drugs, raw materials, and equipment, a figure later raised by the country’s prosecution to more than 750 kilograms seized.
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The newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, citing judicial sources, reported that the raw materials were purchased abroad and hidden in cosmetic product containers and flight luggage. The prosecution explained that the network members had specialized roles covering acquisition, manufacture, storage, and distribution. The case against the 28 defendants was based on the statements of 20 witnesses and digital evidence, including messages, photographs, and videos.
However, the evidence used in the trial has not been made public, raising doubts about the legitimacy of the trial. According to the Emirati media outlet The National, applying the death penalty based on evidence that has not been disclosed would set a worrying precedent for the country and “the Egyptian state owes the country clearer accountability before the noose is prepared.”
The prosecution maintains that Khalifa financed part of the operation, traveled abroad to meet with high-level network members, and acted as a liaison with other members in Egypt. According to investigation records cited by the Egyptian press, two defendants residing abroad bought chemical precursors in China to manufacture the drugs and received instructions to produce them.
Other members mixed the chemicals before testing new batches on drug users to evaluate their effects and then weighing, packaging, and distributing them.
The prosecution also relied on digital evidence recovered from Khalifa’s phone. According to released documents, investigators found WhatsApp messages with videos of substances similar to those seized, as well as communications with other alleged network members.
Additionally, a handwriting analysis determined that Khalifa had written notes in a seized notebook with names, figures, and amounts that, according to the prosecution, corresponded to operation expenses. Khalifa has consistently denied any involvement in the network.
After the Arab court’s ruling, the presenter told the magistrates: “I have never smoked a cigarette in my life.”
On Saturday, a second sentence against Khalifa was also announced in a separate case. A Cairo court sentenced her to three years in prison for assault after investigators found video recordings on her phone showing a young man identified as her driver being stripped, assaulted, and filmed inside his home.
In that same case, two other defendants received seven years in prison each, and a fourth defendant was sentenced to five years.
Egypt applies the death penalty for offenses such as premeditated murder, terrorism, rape, and drug trafficking.
According to Amnesty International, Egyptian courts issued 492 death sentences in 2025, of which 23 were carried out. Many were for drug trafficking, while international human rights organizations argue that the death penalty should be limited to cases of “intentional homicide.”
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