Egyptian TV Presenter Sarah Khalifa Among 12 Sentenced to Death in Drug Case

By Valerie Mpundu

A Cairo court has sentenced Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death by hanging over their alleged involvement in a major drug trafficking operation, according to state-run newspaper al-Ahram.

The Cairo Criminal Court handed down the death penalty on Saturday while imposing a fine of 500,000 Egyptian pounds (approximately $9,800) on each convicted individual.

Major Synthetic Drug Bust

According to prosecutors, security forces confiscated 750 kilograms of synthetic drugs and precursor manufacturing materials from a residential property that was allegedly utilized as an illegal storage and processing facility.

The prosecution's case was built on extensive evidence, including:

• Formal testimony from 20 witnesses

  
  

• Intercepted telephone records

  
  

• Supporting photographic and video surveillance evidence

  
  

Court documents formally accused the 12 individuals of establishing and operating an organized criminal enterprise focused on large-scale narcotics distribution.

Capital Punishment Trends in Egypt

The high-profile ruling highlights Egypt's continued reliance on capital punishment, maintaining one of the highest rates of judicial executions globally.

Data from human rights organization Amnesty International indicates that Egyptian courts issued 492 death sentences in 2025 alone, with at least 23 executions officially carried out during that same period.

Sarah Khalifa death sentence Egypt