Egyptian television presenter, Sarah Khalifa, has been sentenced to death alongside 11 others over allegations linked to a drug trafficking network.
Khalifa and the other defendants were handed death sentences by hanging by Cairo’s Criminal Court on Saturday and fined 500,000 Egyptian pounds (about $9,800), according to Egypt’s state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.
Prosecutors accused the group of operating an organised criminal network involved in importing materials used to manufacture narcotics for trafficking. The defendants were also accused of possessing firearms without licences.
Nine other suspects received life imprisonment, while seven defendants were acquitted.
Khalifa, who has about 2.5 million followers on Instagram, is a prominent television personality and the owner of a beauty clinic.
She previously hosted an entertainment programme alongside musician Hamo Bika.
During the sentencing, Khalifa reportedly broke down in tears and appealed for mercy and humane treatment. In footage circulating online, which CNN said it could not independently verify, she maintained her innocence and said she had never smoked a cigarette.
Prosecutors alleged that members of the network imported materials needed for the production of synthetic drugs from abroad, with individuals assigned different roles in the operation.
Authorities reportedly seized about 750 kilogrammes of synthetic narcotics and other raw materials from a residential property allegedly used by the group to store and manufacture the drugs.
The prosecution said its case was supported by testimony from 20 witnesses, alongside recorded conversations, photographs and video evidence.
According to Amnesty International, Egypt issued 492 death sentences in 2025, placing it among the countries with the highest number of such sentences globally.
The country executed 23 prisoners during the same year.
