CAIRO, Egypt — A Cairo court sentenced Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants to death on Saturday, September 5, 2026.
The case concerned an alleged operation to manufacture and sell synthetic drugs.
The Cairo Criminal Court ordered that the sentences be carried out by hanging and imposed a fine of 500,000 Egyptian pounds, about $9,800, according to the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.
Nine other defendants received life sentences, while seven were acquitted.
Prosecutors said members of the alleged network brought materials into Egypt from abroad for use in producing synthetic narcotics.
Different participants were assigned responsibility for separate stages of the operation, they said.
The charges also included possessing firearms without a licence. Prosecutors said investigators recovered 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and other raw materials from a residential property where the substances were allegedly stored and processed.
The prosecution said its case relied on testimony from 20 witnesses as well as conversations, photographs and video recordings.
Khalifa is a television personality whose Instagram account has 2.5 million followers.
She also operates a beauty clinic and hosted an entertainment programme with the musician Hamo Bika.
CNN said it had sought comment from Khalifa’s lawyer.
A video circulating online appeared to show Khalifa crying during the sentencing and appealing to the court. CNN said it could not independently authenticate the recording.
The recording contained two statements attributed to Khalifa: “I have never smoked a cigarette in my life,” and “I swear to Almighty God, with the strongest oath, that I have been wronged.”
Amnesty International recorded 492 death sentences and 23 executions in Egypt during 2025.
