Egyptian media personality Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted in a sprawling synthetic drug case that ensnared more than two dozen defendants.
Khalifa, a former television host with a massive social media following, was one of 12 defendants handed death sentences Saturday after a Cairo Criminal Court convicted them of taking part in an organized narcotics operation.
The stunning ruling comes more than a year after Khalifa was arrested in Cairo in April 2025 as authorities investigated what prosecutors described as a sophisticated drug manufacturing and trafficking network.
Khalifa, who has more than 2.5 million Instagram followers, has worked as a media personality and beauty clinic owner and previously appeared on several Egyptian television channels. Masrawy reported that she once hosted the Egyptian crime program “Mission Impossible.”
Prosecutors accused the defendants of running an organized operation that imported materials used to manufacture synthetic narcotics before producing and distributing the drugs.
Authorities said members of the network were assigned specific jobs, including bringing in raw materials and handling the production and distribution of the finished narcotics. Prosecutors also said a residential property was used to store materials and manufacture drugs.
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Investigators ultimately seized more than 750 kilograms, or approximately 1,653 pounds, of synthetic drugs and raw materials connected to the operation.
Khalifa was among 28 defendants prosecuted in the sweeping case. In addition to the 12 death sentences, nine defendants were sentenced to life in prison while seven others were acquitted.
The court also convicted the defendants of possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Prosecutors built their case using testimony from 20 witnesses as well as technical and digital evidence. Authorities presented messages, photographs and videos that prosecutors said documented the criminal operation.
The prosecution also placed the defendants’ assets and bank accounts under precautionary measures and ordered those already in custody to remain detained.
Before issuing the death sentences, the court sought the opinion of Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a required step in Egyptian capital cases. The Mufti’s opinion is advisory and does not bind the court.
The death sentences are not yet final. Khalifa and the other convicted defendants have the right to appeal their verdicts before Egypt’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court for criminal cases.
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