Egyptian television host Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death over her involvement in an organized drug trafficking operation.
Khalifa, who boasts 2.6 million Instagram followers, rejected any awareness of drug-related activity, Ahram Online reported. Her lawyer informed the BBC that she is pursuing an appeal.
The court handed down a death by hanging sentence alongside a 500,000 Egyptian pound fine (roughly $9,800), Al-Ahram Gate reported.
“The death sentences were issued after consultation with the Grand Mufti, a mandatory but non-binding procedure in capital cases,” according to Ahram Online. “The ruling remains appealable and is therefore not final.”
Eleven other defendants also received death sentences, Ahram Online reported. An additional nine were handed life prison terms, while seven were cleared of all charges. Prosecutors had charged 28 people in total.
Authorities arrested Khalifa in Cairo in April 2025. Prosecutors claimed she assisted in organizing 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.
Prosecutors alleged Khalifa acted as the “principal financier and liaison between members inside and outside Egypt,” building their case on testimony from 20 witnesses along with digital evidence including messages, videos, and photos.
The 39-year-old reportedly operated a beauty clinic and event planning business in Egypt and previously hosted a local television program called 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.
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