An Egyptian court sentenced 39-year-old Sarah Kalifa, a prominent TV host, to death by hanging alongside 11 other defendants after convicting them of smuggling chemicals used to manufacture and traffic drugs. Authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of evidence, including illegal firearms.
A court in Cairo, Egypt, handed down a death sentence by hanging to Sarah Kalifa, 39, a news anchor and popular television presenter, along with 11 other defendants in a case involving drug production and trafficking, according to official Egyptian media reports.
Kalifa is known for hosting the show "Mission Impossible," which covers security and crime issues. She also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and a production company that organizes parties and various events.
Al-Ahram newspaper, a state media outlet, reported that the court convicted Kalifa and 11 others of establishing a structured criminal gang to procure raw materials for drug production with the intent to distribute, as well as charges of illegal possession and carrying of firearms and ammunition.
Authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of drugs and raw materials used in production, discovered two apartments used as drug manufacturing sites, and confiscated unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Prosecutors presented 20 witnesses along with electronic evidence including conversations and video clips to support the case.
During the trial last September, the judge questioned Kalifa about the alleged role. She insisted she had never seen the drugs until a photo was taken of her standing next to drugs inside the narcotics enforcement office.
Besides the drug trafficking case, the court also sentenced Kalifa and some co-defendants to five years in prison in a separate case involving charges of kidnapping and assault of a young man.
The death sentence followed the court’s referral of the case to Egypt’s Grand Mufti, the country’s leading Islamic legal authority, for a religious opinion, a legal requirement for death penalty cases in Egypt. However, the Mufti’s opinion is not binding, and the verdict can still be appealed.
Kalifa denies all charges. The case has drawn attention as Egypt continues to enforce the death penalty for certain crimes, including premeditated murder, terrorism, some rape cases, and drug trafficking.
According to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, 541 death sentences were issued in Egypt in 2025. Amnesty International reported 492 death sentences and 23 executions carried out in the same year.