TV crime show host faces execution over drugs charges in Egypt — Sarah Khalifa, a presenter and influencer, has been sentenced to death by hanging in Cairo. Photo / Sarah Khalifa
An Egyptian television presenter faces death by hanging after joining an organised criminal gang that imported chemical ingredients to manufacture and sell illegal drugs.
Sarah Khalifa, 39, was convicted alongside 11 syndicate members after the discovery of drug laboratories hidden inside two homes in Egypt’s capital. She denies the charges
and the verdict is subject to appeal.
Khalifa, who is also a social media influencer with 2.5 million Instagram followers, is best known for her work on the popular television crime show called Mission Impossible, which focuses on security and crime issues.
Her role in the syndicate was revealed after armed officers seized more than 750kg of synthetic drugs as well as raw chemicals, guns and ammunition during raids on two flats in Cairo last year.
According to state newspaper Al-Ahram, the gang was sentenced for “forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, and possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition”.
The gang was charged with “manufacturing synthetic drugs with the intent to traffic them, by importing the materials used in manufacturing from abroad,” state-run media outlet Akhbar el-Yom reported.
The group used a residential property in the capital to “store and manufacture the drugs”, it was claimed.
Prosecutors told the court that Khalifa – who also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event production firm – bankrolled the cartel and travelled overseas to liaise directly with international crime bosses.
The drugs scheme is said to have involved a detailed network, with some members responsible for obtaining materials while others handled assembly and distribution.
The prosecution presented 20 witness statements alongside digital evidence, including messages, photographs and videos that they said documented the group’s activities.
Asked by the judge about her alleged role, Khalifa told a court last September that she had “never seen any drugs” until she was photographed alongside them inside the anti-narcotics authority offices.
She told the court: “I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life, your honour. I’m begging you for mercy, I swear to God, I’m innocent.”
Khalifa also cried during her court appearance, telling the judge: “Please listen to me, sir. My parents raised me well; they are people who pray, and I don’t need drug money,” Egyptian media reported.
The capital convictions were formally confirmed and announced after the case was referred to the Grand Mufti of Egypt for a non-binding religious opinion, a legal requirement in Egyptian capital cases.