12 sentenced to death in Egypt, including TV host
An Egyptian court has sentenced a popular female television host, along with 11 others, to death in a case involving drug manufacturing and trafficking. The country’s state media reported the information Saturday.
The TV host sentenced to death is Sarah Khalifa, 39. She is best known for hosting a program called “Mission Impossible,” which discussed security and crime.
According to a report in the government-linked newspaper Al-Ahram, Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants were sentenced to death on charges of forming an organized criminal gang to procure materials used in drug manufacturing and traffic them. They also faced charges of possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
A court in Cairo delivered the verdict. Before announcing the ruling, the court sought a fatwa, or religious opinion, from Egypt’s Grand Mufti — a mandatory process under the country’s law in death-penalty cases. The verdict can still be appealed.
A report in the state-owned Akhbar El-Yom said the defendants were accused of manufacturing synthetic drugs for trafficking purposes and importing drug-making materials from abroad.
Al-Ahram reported that more than 750 kilograms of drugs and drug-making raw materials were seized in the operation. Two apartments used as drug-manufacturing labs, along with unlicensed firearms and ammunition, were also recovered.
Sarah Khalifa owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and also owns a production company that organizes various parties and events.
5-year sentence in separate case
In a separate case, the court sentenced Sarah Khalifa and other defendants to five years in prison. That case involved charges of kidnapping and assaulting a young man.
Egypt’s laws allow for the death penalty in several types of crimes, including premeditated murder, terrorism, rape and drug trafficking.
According to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, 541 people were sentenced to death in the country in 2025.