Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death after being convicted over her alleged involvement in an organized drug trafficking network.
Khalifa—who has 2.6 million followers on Instagram—denied knowledge of any drug activity, according to the Egyptian state-owned news outlet Ahram Online. She is appealing her case, her attorney told the BBC.
The Cairo Criminal Court ordered death by hanging and imposed a fine of 500,000 Egyptian pounds, roughly $9,800, according to the Egyptian state-owned outlet Al-Ahram Gate.
“The death sentences were issued after consultation with the Grand Mufti, a mandatory but non-binding procedure in capital cases,” Ahram Online reported. “The ruling remains appealable and is therefore not final.”
Khalifa was not the only defendant to receive the harshest penalty. Ahram Online said 11 others were also sentenced to death, while nine defendants received life prison terms and seven were cleared of all charges. Prosecutors had brought the case against 28 people in total.
Khalifa was arrested in Cairo in April 2025. Prosecutors alleged that she helped coordinate a group “specializing in importing raw materials used in the manufacture of synthetic narcotics, to produce and traffic the drugs, as well as possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition,” according to the outlet.
Authorities described her as the “principal financier and liaison between members inside and outside Egypt,” prosecutors said. Their case relied on testimony from 20 witnesses, along with digital evidence including messages, videos and photographs.
The 39-year-old reportedly operated a beauty clinic and an event planning company in Egypt. She had also hosted a local television program, Mission Impossible, which covered crime and other topics.
“I have never smoked a cigarette in my life,” Khalifa screamed during her Sept. 5 sentencing hearing at Cairo Criminal Court, according to a video circulating on social media. “I swear to Almighty God, with the strongest oath, that I have been wronged.”
Khalifa’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
