A popular Egyptian TV presenter has been sentenced to death by hanging after she was convicted for her role in a massive drug trafficking ring.
Sarah Khalifa, a 39-year-old former host of Egyptian crime show “Mission Impossible” sobbed in court as she was ordered to be executed in Cairo, Al-Jazeera reported.
“Please listen to me, sir. My parents raised me well; they are people who pray, and I don’t need drug money,” Khalifa, who has more than 2 million followers on social media, pleaded to officials.
Khalifa and 11 others were sentenced to death after they were convicted of operating an organized gang that imported raw materials to make drugs, Egyptian state media reported.
Khalifa vigorously denied the charges, telling investigators she “never smoked a cigarette in my life,” according to Al Jazeera.
In addition to being a TV presenter, Khalifa ran a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event planning company.
Nine others were sentenced to life in prison and seven others acquitted in the massive drug case that saw 28 people charged and more than 1,600 lbs. of narcotics seized.
Investigators also recovered unlicensed guns and ammunition, according to state media.
Khalifa and others were arrested in 2025 and charged with importing raw materials to make synthetic drugs. They carried out the operation and stored their product in residential homes, officials said.
The verdict was issued after the court consulted Egypt’s grand mufti for his religious opinion — which is required by law in capital cases.
It can be appealed under recent judicial reforms, according to Al Jazeera.
