An Egyptian court has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death over their alleged involvement in an organised network accused of manufacturing and trafficking synthetic drugs.
Khalifa, 39, is a familiar face on Egyptian television and previously hosted Mission Impossible, a programme focused on security and crime.
According to state-linked Al-Ahram newspaper, a Cairo court convicted the defendants of forming an organised criminal group to obtain materials for the production of narcotics for commercial distribution.
They were also convicted of possessing and carrying firearms and ammunition without licences.
The court issued the death sentences after referring the case to Egypt’s Grand Mufti for a religious opinion, a mandatory procedure in capital punishment cases under Egyptian law.
The verdict is not final and can be appealed.
Prosecutors alleged that the defendants manufactured synthetic narcotics using raw materials imported from outside Egypt.
State-run Akhbar Al-Youm reported that the group was charged with manufacturing synthetic drugs for trafficking after importing materials used in their production from abroad.
Authorities reportedly seized more than 750 kilogrammes of narcotics and raw materials during investigations into the alleged operation.
Investigators also discovered two apartments allegedly converted into makeshift drug laboratories, as well as unlicensed firearms and ammunition, Al-Ahram reported.
Khalifa, who also owns a plastic surgery clinic and an events and entertainment production company, was separately sentenced to five years in prison alongside some of the defendants over the alleged kidnapping and assault of a young man.
Egypt retains the death penalty for several serious offences, including premeditated murder, terrorism, certain rape offences and drug trafficking.
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms said Egyptian courts handed down 541 death sentences in 2025.
