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Key Takeaways

1. Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants received death sentences in a Cairo drug trafficking case.
2. Nine defendants received life sentences, while seven were acquitted.
3. Khalifa maintains her innocence, and the ruling remains subject to appeal.

By Samuel López | USA Herald

A Cairo criminal court sentenced Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa to death by hanging on Saturday, September 5, after convicting her and 11 others of participating in an organized operation to manufacture and traffic synthetic drugs.

The ruling covered 28 defendants: 12 received death sentences, nine received life imprisonment, and seven were acquitted. Khalifa, 39, has denied wrongdoing. The judgment remains subject to appeal, and her defense has alleged procedural errors during the trial, according to Egypt Today.

For viewers who knew Khalifa through Mission Impossible, her program about crime and security, the verdict places a familiar television personality at the center of a capital prosecution. She also operated a cosmetic clinic and an events company and had attracted more than two million social media followers. She was arrested in April 2025. The Times

Prosecutors described an operation with distinct responsibilities. Some members obtained raw materials from abroad, others manufactured synthetic drugs, and others handled distribution. Residential property was used to store supplies and produce the drugs, authorities said.

Investigators reported seizing more than 750 kilograms—approximately 1,650 pounds—of synthetic narcotics and production materials, along with unlicensed firearms and ammunition. That weight represents the combined seizure of drugs and raw materials, rather than an identified quantity of finished narcotics alone.

The prosecution cited statements from 20 witnesses and technical and electronic evidence, including messages, photographs and videos, which it said documented the defendants’ activities. Egypt Today

Khalifa’s response was emotional. Accounts of the hearing described her crying and appealing to the court while insisting she was innocent. She reportedly told investigators she had “never smoked a cigarette in my life.” Her denial has remained central to her public response to the case. New York Post

The death sentences were issued unanimously after the court received the opinion of Egypt’s Grand Mufti. Egyptian law requires that consultation in capital cases, but the religious opinion is advisory and does not bind the judges. The sentence can still be challenged through an appeal. Folha de S.Paulo

Khalifa’s defense has expressed confidence that the judgment will be overturned. That is the defense’s position, however, and no appellate reversal is established by the reports reviewed for this article. For now, the convictions and sentences stand, with further judicial review available.