An Egyptian criminal court has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging after convicting them in a major drug trafficking case involving more than 750 kilogrammes of narcotics.
The Cairo criminal court found the defendants guilty of forming an organised criminal gang involved in procuring materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs for distribution, according to Egypt’s state-linked Al-Ahram outlet. Nine other defendants were handed life sentences, while seven were acquitted in the case involving 28 people.
Khalifa, 39, is known for hosting the security and crime programme Mission Impossible on Al-Mehwar TV. She also owns businesses in cosmetic surgery and event planning and has more than two million followers on Instagram. She has denied the allegations, telling investigators that she had never smoked a cigarette and insisting on her innocence.
Prosecutors alleged that the group imported raw materials from abroad, stored them in residential properties and used the locations to manufacture and distribute synthetic drugs. Authorities also said unlicensed firearms and ammunition were recovered during the investigation. The death sentences were issued after the court consulted Egypt’s Grand Mufti, as required in capital cases, but the opinion is non-binding. The defendants can appeal the verdict before Egypt’s Court of Cassation.
