Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death after being convicted in a major drug trafficking case that also involved dozens of other defendants.
Khalifa, who is known for hosting the crime-focused television show Mission Impossible, was one of 12 people sentenced to death for their alleged roles in a synthetic drug trafficking network.
Prosecutors accused the group of forming a criminal organization that specialized in importing substances used to manufacture narcotics and then distributing the drugs for sale.
According to Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram, Khalifa and 27 other defendants were accused of taking on different roles in the operation, including importing materials, producing synthetic drugs and distributing them.
Authorities said drugs and raw materials were stored at a residential property.
During the investigation, prosecutors said they seized roughly 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and drug-making materials.
The prosecution’s case reportedly included testimony from 20 witnesses, as well as photographs, videos and text messages that authorities said documented criminal activity.
Khalifa was also previously sentenced to three years in prison in a separate case involving her driver.
According to Al Jazeera, she was convicted of sexually assaulting and filming the driver while he was naked in an alleged effort to force him to admit that he had provided information to authorities about the drug case.
In the main drug case, 12 defendants were sentenced to death, nine received life sentences and seven were acquitted.
Two other defendants who have not yet been arrested were reportedly placed on travel bans and watchlists.
Khalifa and the 11 others sentenced to death were also ordered to pay fines of 500,000 Egyptian pounds.
Her financial assets were also reportedly placed under precautionary restrictions.
The death sentences are not yet final.
The court issued the sentences after consulting Egypt’s Grand Mufti, who provides religious guidance on death penalty cases. The ruling can still be appealed.
Khalifa’s attorney told the BBC that she intends to challenge the sentence.
She will remain in custody while the appeal process moves forward.
Following the ruling, a video circulated online that appeared to show Khalifa crying and insisting she was innocent.
“I have never smoked a cigarette in my life,” she reportedly said in the footage. “I swear to Almighty God, with the strongest oath, that I have been wronged.”
She also appeared to plead for “mercy and humanity.”
CNN reviewed the video but said its authenticity had not been independently verified.
Khalifa has a large following online, with about 2.6 million Instagram followers.
She began her career as an entertainment journalist with the Arab Radio and Television Network in 1994 before becoming better known as the host of Mission Impossible.
The Egyptian television program, which aired on the private Al-Mehwar TV channel, focused on security issues and crime investigations.
News of Khalifa’s sentence prompted an emotional response from some of her followers, with several expressing hope that the ruling would be overturned on appeal.