Egypt sentences TV presenter Sarah Khalifa to death in major drug case

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

CAIRO, EGYPT — An Egyptian court has sentenced media personality and television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death in a major synthetic drug manufacturing and trafficking case, while her lawyer says the conviction will be appealed.

The Cairo Criminal Court convicted the defendants of forming an organized criminal group involved in importing materials used to manufacture synthetic narcotics for trafficking and of possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition, according to Egyptian state-linked newspaper Al-Ahram. The case involved 28 defendants in total. Nine received life sentences and seven were acquitted.

Khalifa, 39, has denied involvement in the alleged drug network. Her lawyer, Mohamed El-Gendy, said the defense intends to appeal and pursue available legal avenues. The death sentences are therefore not final.

Twelve defendants received death sentences

The case centered on allegations that members of the group imported raw materials from abroad and used them to manufacture synthetic drugs for distribution in Egypt.

Prosecutors said different members of the network had assigned roles in obtaining chemicals, producing drugs, storing them and distributing the finished substances.

According to Al-Ahram, the prosecution relied on testimony from 20 witnesses, as well as digital evidence including messages, photographs and videos. Authorities said they seized more than 750 kilograms of synthetic drugs and related raw materials, along with manufacturing equipment, unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

Investigators also identified two apartments that were allegedly being used as laboratories.

Euronews reported that prosecutors accused Khalifa of helping finance and coordinate parts of the operation and of acting as a link between people inside and outside Egypt. Khalifa has consistently rejected those allegations.

The Grand Mufti was consulted before the ruling

Before issuing the death sentences, the court referred the case to Egypt’s Grand Mufti, as required under Egyptian procedure in capital cases.

The Mufti’s opinion is advisory rather than binding, meaning the final decision remains with the criminal court.

That procedural step does not make the verdict irreversible.

Khalifa and the other defendants sentenced to death can challenge the judgment through Egypt’s appeals system. Euronews reported that a higher criminal court can reconsider evidence and individual responsibility, while further review before the Court of Cassation may also be available.

Al-Ahram likewise reported that the defense intends to appeal the ruling.

For that reason, reports saying Khalifa “has been executed” or that the death penalty is already final would be inaccurate at this stage.

More than 750 kilograms of drugs and materials were seized

The scale of the seizure has been one of the most prominent elements of the prosecution case.

Egyptian authorities said the total exceeded 750 kilograms, although the figure included both finished narcotics and raw materials used in production.

That distinction is important because the full amount should not be described simply as 750 kilograms of ready-to-sell drugs.

According to Euronews, forensic evidence focused on synthetic cannabinoids, laboratory-made substances designed to produce effects similar to cannabis but potentially much more potent and unpredictable.

The defense challenged aspects of the chemical classification and questioned whether some substances should legally fall under Egypt’s controlled-drug schedules.

A court-appointed expert committee concluded that the chemical compounds and production process could produce prohibited synthetic cannabinoids. The court accepted that assessment, while defense lawyers disputed parts of the analysis.

Sarah Khalifa denied the prosecution’s account

Khalifa has denied participating in the alleged criminal organization.

Prosecutors described her as one of the network’s managers and principal financiers, alleging that she traveled abroad to meet other participants and helped connect members operating inside and outside Egypt.

Investigators also relied on material recovered from electronic devices. Euronews reported that prosecutors cited WhatsApp exchanges, videos and other communications they said linked defendants to the seized substances and alleged network.

The defense disputed several parts of the investigation, including arrest and search procedures, the reliability of telephone evidence, handwriting analysis and statements attributed to other defendants.

Al-Ahram noted that the proceedings lasted more than a year and included expert testimony, technical evidence and repeated challenges from defense lawyers before the September 5 judgment.

The existence of a trial-court conviction means the allegations have now resulted in a judicial ruling, but the defense retains the right to challenge both the evidence and the court’s legal reasoning on appeal.

Who is Sarah Khalifa?

International reports have frequently described Khalifa as a prominent Egyptian television presenter known for a crime-focused program commonly translated as “Mission Impossible.”

She has also been associated with an events business and a cosmetic clinic and developed a large social-media following.

However, a later Al-Ahram review said international descriptions of Khalifa as a major nationally established television star may have overstated the scale of her broadcasting career. The newspaper reported that she had appeared on television but had not maintained a prominent national broadcasting role before the criminal case made her widely known.

For that reason, describing her as a media personality and former television presenter provides a more cautious characterization than simply calling her one of Egypt’s leading television stars.

Khalifa was arrested in Cairo in April 2025 as investigators expanded the synthetic-drug case.

Reports differ over a separate assault case

Khalifa also faced a separate criminal case involving allegations that a young man was detained, assaulted and filmed.

International reports initially stated that she and some co-defendants received five-year prison terms in that case.

However, a detailed Al-Ahram review later reported that Khalifa received three years of rigorous imprisonment, while other defendants received different sentences, and explicitly noted the discrepancy with international reporting.

Because the reports conflict, that separate judgment should not be presented as a settled five-year sentence without qualification.

More importantly, it is legally separate from the narcotics prosecution and was not the basis for the death sentence.

Egypt’s use of the death penalty remains controversial

Egypt retains capital punishment for a range of serious offenses, including certain forms of drug trafficking, terrorism and premeditated murder.

The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, which campaigns against capital punishment, documented 541 death-penalty-related rulings and referrals in 2025 across different levels of the court system. That figure does not mean 541 final execution orders were issued.

Its breakdown included 177 first-instance death sentences issued after consultation with the Mufti, 221 first-instance referrals to the Mufti before final judgment, 78 second-instance death sentences, 20 second-instance referrals and 25 cases in which death sentences became final after appeals were exhausted. The organization also documented 20 executions during 2025.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Egypt’s use of capital punishment, particularly in cases that do not involve intentional killing.

Egyptian authorities, however, continue to maintain the death penalty within the country’s criminal justice system.

In Sarah Khalifa’s case, the next decisive stage will be the appeals process. The defense can seek to have the convictions or sentences reduced, overturned or sent back for retrial.

Until that review is completed, the September 5 ruling represents a serious first-instance conviction and death sentence — but not the end of the judicial process.

WiseNewsPress.com