Famous Egyptian TV Host Sentenced to Death in Drug Case

Popular Egyptian TV host and blogger Sara Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging after a Cairo criminal court found her guilty of involvement in a major criminal organization engaged in the smuggling and production of drugs.

The 39-year-old former host of the crime show Mission Impossible, whose social media accounts have more than two million followers, broke down in tears as the verdict was read out in court.

“Please, listen to me. My parents raised me to be honest. They are religious people, and I do not need money from drugs,” Khalifa pleaded with the authorities.

According to investigators, the TV host and 11 other defendants were members of an organized criminal group involved in importing raw materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs.

Khalifa vehemently denied the charges, telling investigators that she had “never even held a cigarette in her life.”

In addition to her television career, Khalifa owned a plastic surgery clinic and an event management agency.

A total of 28 people were tried in the high-profile case:

• 12 defendants, including Khalifa, were sentenced to death. Under Egyptian law, the death sentences were subject to mandatory approval by the country’s Grand Mufti before the final verdicts could be issued.
• Nine defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment.
• Seven people were fully acquitted.

During a series of large-scale raids, law enforcement officers seized more than 725 kilograms of narcotics, along with unregistered firearms and ammunition.

Sara Khalifa was arrested in an upscale Cairo neighborhood in April 2025. Investigators determined that the criminal group imported the raw materials and stored the finished drugs in residential properties.

Under Egypt’s latest judicial reforms, the death sentence can still be appealed before a higher court.