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Cairo Criminal Court handed down death sentences by hanging to TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants after convicting them of heading an organised criminal network that imported raw materials to produce synthetic narcotics for distribution across Egypt. The same court sentenced nine additional defendants to life imprisonment while acquitting seven others in the 28-person trial that authorities have described as one of the country’s largest drugs cases in recent years. According to Ahram Online the verdicts followed the court’s mandatory referral of the capital cases to the Grand Mufti for an advisory religious opinion as required under Egyptian law for death penalty rulings.
Prosecutors accused the group of dividing responsibilities that ranged from sourcing precursor chemicals abroad to operating clandestine laboratories and distributing the finished products. Gulf News reported that investigators alleged Khalifa helped finance the operation and travelled overseas to coordinate with two fugitive ringleaders identified as an Iraqi national and an Egyptian associate. The Public Prosecution further charged the convicted defendants with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition in addition to the narcotics offences.
Authorities seized more than 750 kilogrammes of synthetic drugs and precursor materials during the investigation along with production equipment discovered in two apartments converted into laboratories. The Guardian noted that the raids also uncovered unlicensed weapons and ammunition confirming the armed element of the network. Egyptian media including Akhbar el-Yom stated the materials had been imported specifically to manufacture narcotics intended for domestic trafficking.
Sarah Khalifa 39 is best known for hosting the programme “Mission Impossible” which focused on crime and security topics. She also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and an events production company according to multiple reports including those from the South China Morning Post. The New Arab reported that Khalifa was arrested in April 2025 along with other suspects whose assets were subsequently frozen as part of the probe.
All 12 defendants sentenced to death retain the right to appeal before the Court of Cassation Egypt’s highest appellate body for criminal matters. The Guardian reported that the full verdict also included a separate five-year prison term for Khalifa and several co-defendants in an unrelated case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man. Court documents cited by Egypt Independent indicated the main drugs investigation began more than a year earlier with testimony from 20 witnesses and forensic analysis of the seized substances.
Egypt continues to impose the death penalty for drug trafficking offences alongside murder and terrorism charges. Amnesty International’s 2025 global death penalty report documented 492 death sentences issued in Egypt that year with 23 known executions many linked to major narcotics cases. The strict enforcement reflects long-standing government policy aimed at dismantling organised criminal networks that import and produce synthetic drugs for the domestic market.
The case highlighted the transnational dimension of synthetic drug production with investigators tracing precursor chemicals to foreign suppliers. Shafaq News reported that two alleged leaders remain at large including the Iraqi national identified in court records as a central figure who recruited participants for manufacturing and distribution roles. Public prosecution statements emphasised that the network had established a residential property as a base for mixing and preparing the narcotics before channelling them into local distribution channels.
