Egyptian TV presenter sentenced to death on drug charges

From Sarah Khalifa/Instagram

Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa was among 12 people sentenced to death for their alleged role in a drug trafficking network on Saturday, according to a state-owned Egyptian outlet.

The 12 defendants, including Khalifa, were sentenced to death by hanging and fined 500,000 Egyptian pounds ($9,800) by Cairo’s Criminal Court, the al-Ahram newspaper reported.

They were accused of forming an organized criminal gang “specializing in importing substances used in the manufacture of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking,” as well as possessing firearms without a license, al-Ahram said. Nine others were sentenced to life imprisonment and seven were acquitted.

Khalifa, who has 2.5 million followers on Instagram, is a well-known presenter who runs her own beauty clinic and hosted an entertainment show with musician Hamo Bika.

CNN has contacted her attorney for comment. She wept during the sentencing, asking for “mercy and humanity,” a video circulating on social media appeared to show. CNN was unable to independently verify the footage.

“I have never smoked a cigarette in my life,” she could be heard saying. “I swear to Almighty God, with the strongest oath, that I have been wronged.”

Prosecutors said the network imported products required for synthetic drug production from abroad, with different individuals responsible for different stages of the process.

They said they seized 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and other raw materials from a residential property where the defendants allegedly stored and made the drugs. Their case was built on testimony from 20 witnesses, as well as conversations, photographs and video footage, they added.

Egypt issued 492 death sentences in 2025, one of the highest recorded rates in the world, according to Amnesty International. The country executed 23 prisoners.

来自 Sarah Khalifa/Instagram

据埃及一家国营媒体报道，埃及电视主持人萨拉·哈利法（Sarah Khalifa）因涉嫌参与贩毒网络，于周六被判处死刑，她是被判处死刑的12人之一。

据《金字塔报》报道，包括哈利法在内的12名被告被开罗刑事法院判处绞刑，并处罚金50万埃及镑（约合9800美元）。

据《金字塔报》报道，他们被指控组成有组织犯罪团伙，“专门进口用于制造毒品的原料以进行贩运”，以及无证持有枪支。另有九人被判处终身监禁，七人被判无罪。

拥有 250 万 Instagram 粉丝的 Khalifa 是一位知名主持人，她经营着自己的美容诊所，并与音乐家 Hamo Bika 一起主持过一档娱乐节目。

CNN已联系她的律师寻求置评。社交媒体上流传的一段视频显示，她在宣判期间痛哭流涕，请求“宽恕和人道”。CNN无法独立核实该视频的真实性。

“我这辈子从没抽过烟，”可以听到她这样说。“我向上帝发誓，我受到了不公正的对待。”

检方称，该犯罪团伙从国外进口合成毒品生产所需的原料，并由不同的人负责生产过程的不同阶段。

他们表示，在被告涉嫌储存和制造毒品的住宅内，查获了750公斤合成毒品和其他原材料。他们补充说，他们的案件依据是20名证人的证词，以及谈话记录、照片和视频录像。

根据国际特赦组织的数据，埃及在2025年判处了492例死刑，是世界上死刑判决率最高的国家之一。该国执行了23例死刑。