The Cairo Criminal Court has sentenced Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people to death by hanging after convicting them of manufacturing and trafficking synthetic drugs, according to material supplied from the originating article.
The court imposed the sentences on September 5 after referring the defendants’ files to Egypt’s Grand Mufti. Consultation with the mufti is a required procedural step before an Egyptian court issues a death sentence, although the resulting opinion is advisory rather than binding.
The judgments are not final. Khalifa and the other defendants can challenge both their convictions and sentences through Egypt’s appeals process, making appellate review the next major institutional stage in the case.
Court divides sentences among 28 defendants
The proceedings covered 28 defendants. Twelve received death sentences, nine were sentenced to life imprisonment and seven were acquitted. The court also fined each person sentenced to death 500,000 Egyptian pounds and ordered the confiscation of the seized materials.
Judges found that the defendants had formed an organized criminal group to obtain materials, manufacture narcotics and distribute the finished drugs. The convictions also covered possession of firearms and ammunition without licenses.
Prosecutors alleged that members of the network had distinct responsibilities, including sourcing chemicals from outside Egypt, producing synthetic drugs and arranging their distribution. Investigators said residential properties were used both to store materials and to operate drug laboratories.
Authorities reported seizing more than 750 kilograms, or about 1,650 pounds, of narcotics and production materials. They also said officers recovered unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Khalifa denies involvement
Khalifa, 39, was arrested in April 2025. She is known for presenting Mission Impossible, a security- and crime-focused program broadcast by Egypt’s privately owned Al-Mehwar channel.
She has denied involvement in narcotics activity and reportedly told investigators that she was innocent. Prosecutors took the opposite position, alleging that she helped finance the operation and traveled abroad to coordinate with other members of the network.
No defense argument beyond Khalifa’s denial was included in the supplied account. The appeal process will therefore be the principal forum for the defendants to contest the trial court’s findings and penalties.
Appeals will determine what happens next
The case now turns from the Cairo Criminal Court’s verdict to judicial review. Because the sentences can be appealed, the death penalties cannot yet be treated as the final outcome of the prosecution.
The acquittal of seven defendants also shows that the court reached different conclusions across the group rather than imposing a single result on everyone charged. For Khalifa and the 11 others sentenced to death, the immediate consequence is a capital judgment accompanied by a substantial fine. The decisive next question is whether an appellate court upholds, changes or overturns the Cairo court’s rulings.
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