The TV star was sentenced alongside 11 other defendants.
Sarah Khalifa. Picture: Instagram/@sara_khaliifa
Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted in a major drug trafficking case.
Khalifa, 39, was reportedly sentenced alongside 11 other defendants by a Cairo criminal court.
According to the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, the court found them guilty of forming an organised criminal group involved in obtaining materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs, with the intention of selling them.
The case involved 28 defendants. Nine were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted.
Sarah Khalifa denies charges
Khalifa is best known for presenting Mission Impossible, a security and crime programme that aired on Egypt’s Al-Mehwar TV channel.
She has reportedly denied the charges against her, saying she had “never smoked a cigarette in my life”, according to Al Jazeera.
Authorities seized more than 750kg of narcotics and materials allegedly intended for drug production. Investigators also reportedly found unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
TV star to appeal
Khalifa’s lawyer said she would appeal the death sentence, according to the BBC.
Khalifa was arrested in April 2025 as part of the investigation.
She was also sentenced to three years in prison in a separate case involving the assault and filming of her driver.
