An Egyptian television presenter faces execution after a Cairo court sentenced her to death for financing and coordinating a synthetic drug network, but her lawyer says they will appeal, and legal experts say the case is far from over.
Sarah Khalifa, known for hosting the crime programme Mission Impossible on private channel Al-Mehwar and for her events business, was sentenced on Saturday alongside 11 others in a major synthetic drug manufacturing and trafficking case.
Nine defendants received life sentences and seven were acquitted. Those sentenced to death were also fined 500,000 Egyptian pounds (€8,000).
Khalifa’s brother Mohamed was among those sentenced to death, on charges of manufacturing and testing drugs.
Khalifa’s lawyer Mohamed El-Gendy said the defence would appeal and pursue all available legal avenues.
A higher criminal court can reconsider the evidence and each defendant’s role, upholding, reducing, or overturning sentences. A further challenge before Egypt’s Court of Cassation is also possible.
Before Saturday’s ruling, the court had referred Khalifa and 12 other defendants to Egypt’s Grand Mufti — a procedural requirement before a criminal court can impose the death penalty. The Mufti’s opinion is advisory and not binding.
Twelve of those 13 defendants ultimately received death sentences.
More than ordinary hashish
Egyptian media initially described the case as involving synthetic hashish, but forensic evidence presented during the trial identified the substances as synthetic cannabinoids, laboratory-made chemicals that mimic some of the effects of cannabis on the brain but can be significantly more potent and unpredictable.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime describes MDMB-4en-PINACA as a potent synthetic cannabinoid placed under international control in 2021 following a World Health Organization recommendation citing severe adverse effects and deaths.
Synthetic cannabinoids can cause psychosis, seizures, heart and kidney problems, and in severe cases, death.
The committee said the substance was not specifically listed on Egypt’s controlled narcotics schedule, but concluded it fell under Egyptian law because its chemical structure and effects were similar to already-listed substances.
The defence challenged that interpretation and the court accepted the committee’s findings.
The case began in April 2025 when Egypt’s anti-narcotics authorities said they had uncovered a network importing raw materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs.
Police initially raided two Cairo apartments and recovered around 200 kilograms of drugs, raw materials and equipment.
As the investigation widened, prosecutors said the total seized exceeded 750 kilograms. The investigation lasted some 40 days before prosecutors obtained arrest warrants.
Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, citing judicial and security sources, reported that investigators alleged raw materials were sourced abroad, concealed inside cosmetics containers and luggage on flights.
The prosecution said members had specialised roles covering procurement, manufacturing, storage and distribution. The case against 28 defendants relied on testimony from 20 witnesses and digital evidence including messages, photographs and videos.
Khalifa’s alleged role
Prosecutors said Khalifa financed parts of the operation, travelled abroad to meet senior members of the network and acted as a link between them and other members inside Egypt.
According to investigation records reported by the Egyptian press, two defendants living outside Egypt bought batches of materials used to manufacture the drugs from China and obtained instructions on how to produce them.
Investigators said other members mixed the chemicals according to formulas supplied by senior figures in the network before testing newly manufactured batches on drug users to assess their effects, and then weighing, packaging and distributing them.
Khalifa’s brother, Mohamed Khalifa, was identified by prosecutors as one of those involved in manufacturing and testing the drugs and was also among those sentenced to death.
Prosecutors also relied on digital evidence recovered from Khalifa’s phone.
According to prosecution documents shared with domestic media, investigators found WhatsApp exchanges containing videos of substances resembling those seized in the case, as well as communications with other alleged members of the network.
A handwriting examination also concluded that Khalifa had written entries in a seized notebook containing names, figures and amounts that prosecutors said related to spending on the drug operation.
Khalifa consistently denied involvement in the network.
Saturday also brought a second conviction against Khalifa in a separate case.
A Cairo court sentenced her to three years in prison for assault after investigators found video footage on her phone showing a young man identified as her driver being stripped, assaulted and filmed naked inside her home.
Two other defendants in that case received seven years each and a fourth received five years.
Egypt retains the death penalty for serious drug trafficking offences. Amnesty International recorded 23 executions in Egypt in 2025, up from 13 the year before, and has criticised the country’s use of capital punishment for offences that do not involve intentional killing.