A Cairo court has handed down death sentences to a television host and 11 co-defendants after finding them guilty of running a narcotics manufacturing and trafficking operation.

Sarah Khalifa (39), who presents the crime-focused programme “Mission Impossible”, will face execution by hanging following her conviction on charges of leading an organised criminal gang that imported materials to manufacture synthetic drugs for distribution.

The court also convicted Khalifa and her co-defendants of possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The Grand Mufti of Egypt provided a religious opinion on the sentences, as required under Egyptian law for all capital punishment cases.

State media reported that authorities discovered two apartments being used as drug laboratories during the investigation. Officers seized more than 750 kg of narcotics and raw materials used in production.

Khalifa, who runs a plastic surgery clinic and an events production company, received an additional five-year prison sentence in a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man.

The presenter built her public profile through “Mission Impossible”, a television show examining security and crime issues in Egypt.

Egyptian courts can impose the death penalty for premeditated murder, terrorism-related offences, certain rape cases and drug trafficking. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms recorded 541 death sentences handed down by courts in 2025.

All defendants have the right to appeal the verdict.

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