Egyptian television personality Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging after a Cairo court convicted her and 11 others in a sprawling synthetic drug trafficking case that has gripped the country.
The Cairo Criminal Court handed down the sentences on Sept. 5 after finding Khalifa and her co-defendants guilty of participating in an organized criminal network involved in importing raw materials, manufacturing synthetic narcotics and preparing them for distribution.
Nine additional defendants were sentenced to life in prison, while seven were acquitted. The case involved 28 defendants in total.
Khalifa, a well-known television presenter and entrepreneur, has denied the charges throughout the case and plans to appeal.
Her lawyer, Mohamed El Gendy, has argued that there were procedural errors during the trial and said he expects the conviction to be challenged before higher courts. The death sentence is not yet final.
The case dates back to Khalifa’s arrest in Cairo in April 2025.
Prosecutors accused members of the alleged network of dividing responsibilities among themselves, with some obtaining raw materials from abroad, others manufacturing the narcotics and others handling storage and distribution.
Authorities said investigators seized more than 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and materials allegedly intended for drug production.
The prosecution’s case included testimony from 20 witnesses as well as messages, photographs, videos and other digital evidence that authorities said documented the group’s activities.
The defendants were also convicted on charges involving unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
According to prosecutors, Khalifa played a significant role in the alleged organization. The prosecution described her as someone who helped finance expenses and acted as a link between members of the group inside and outside Egypt.
Those claims were accepted by the trial court, although Khalifa continues to insist she had nothing to do with the alleged drug operation.
During one court appearance, Khalifa emotionally denied being involved with narcotics and told the judge that she had never even smoked a cigarette.
She also claimed she had never seen drugs before authorities photographed her with narcotics following her arrest.
“My parents raised me well,” Khalifa told the court, according to reports. “They are people who pray, and I don’t need drug money.”
Khalifa became a recognizable figure on Egyptian television long before her arrest.
She is particularly known for hosting “Mission Impossible,” a program focused on crime and public-order issues that reportedly worked closely with Egyptian security officials.
The show featured police officers, security personnel and suspects and helped Khalifa build a large public following.
She has also appeared on other entertainment programs and developed several businesses outside television.
Khalifa reportedly operated a beauty clinic and an event-planning company and had millions of followers on social media before the criminal case brought her even greater public attention.
Her personal life has also made headlines.
Khalifa was briefly married in 2016 to Egyptian soccer star Mahmoud Abdel Moneim, better known as Kahraba. Their marriage lasted only several months and attracted widespread media attention at the time.
Her conviction has now turned what was already a high-profile celebrity case into one of Egypt’s most closely watched criminal proceedings.
Before issuing a death sentence in Egypt, a criminal court is required to refer the case to the country’s Grand Mufti for a religious opinion.
That opinion is advisory rather than binding, but it is a required procedural step in capital cases.
The court formally confirmed the death sentences after completing that process.
Khalifa still has several legal options.
Her defense can first challenge the ruling before an appeals court and, depending on the outcome, potentially take the case to Egypt’s Court of Cassation.
That means the death sentence cannot be treated as final while the appeals process is still underway.
The case has generated significant debate inside Egypt, particularly because of Khalifa’s celebrity status and the severity of the punishment.
Some critics have called for greater public disclosure of the evidence presented at trial, while Egyptian authorities maintain that prosecutors presented extensive witness testimony, forensic material and digital evidence.