Egyptian TV host Sarah Khalifa is one of 12 people sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted on drug charges.
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The Cairo criminal court handed down the death sentences, Al Jazeera reported. The defendants were accused of forming an organized criminal gang that specialized in procuring the materials necessary to make narcotics with the intent to traffic them.
Nine co-defendants were sentenced to life in prison, while seven others were acquitted. Altogether, the case had 28 defendants and involved more than 750 kilograms of narcotics.
Thirty-nine-year-old Khalifa is best known for hosting the security and crime program Mission Impossible. It aired on the private Al-Mehwar TV channel.
She also owned a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event planning company. She also maintained a strong social media presence, boasting over two million followers on Instagram.
Khalifa had denied the charges, declaring her innocence and telling investigators she “never smoked a cigarette in my life.”
Egyptian media reported that during sentencing, she wept.
“Please listen to me, sir. My parents raised me well; they are people who pray, and I don’t need drug money,” she told the court, asking for mercy.
The verdict can be appealed before the Court of Cassation. Defendants can also request a retrial before heading to appeals court.
Khalifa was arrested in April 2025 as part of the investigation. In a separate case heard on Saturday, she was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting and filming her driver in the same court.