TV presenter Sarah Khalifa among 12 sentenced to death in drug case

In a recent update an Egyptian court sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging in a major drug manufacturing and trafficking case.

The Cairo Criminal Court convicted the defendants of forming an organized criminal gang that imported raw materials from abroad to manufacture synthetic drugs for distribution.

Authorities reportedly seized over 750 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials, along with unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

As reported by the Guardian, Sarah Khalifa, 39, is well-known in Egypt for hosting Mission Impossible, a television program focused on crime and security issues.

Before issuing the final death sentences, the court referred the case to Egypt's Grand Mufti for a mandatory religious opinion—a legal requirement in capital cases. The verdict remains subject to appeal.

In a separate legal matter, Khalifa and several co-defendants were also handed five-year prison sentences for the kidnapping and assault of a young man.

The state-linked Al-Ahram newspaper said a Cairo court sentenced “Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging on charges of forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, and possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition”.

The verdict came after the court consulted the Grand Mufti of Egypt for his religious opinion, a procedure required by Egyptian law in capital cases.