An Egyptian court has sentenced a female television presenter and 11 other defendants to death after finding them guilty of belonging to an organised criminal network involved in procuring materials used to manufacture narcotics.


Egyptian state media reported that the Cairo Criminal Court issued the death sentences on September 6, as Al Jazeera published.


According to prosecutors, the group obtained raw materials from abroad and used them to produce synthetic drugs, which were subsequently stored in residential properties. Authorities said the defendants had divided responsibilities among themselves, with different members handling procurement, manufacturing and distribution. Investigators also reported finding unlicensed firearms and ammunition alongside the narcotics.


The verdict was issued after the court referred the death sentences to Egypt’s Grand Mufti for a non-binding religious opinion, a procedure required by law in capital cases. The defendants can challenge the ruling before the Court of Cassation. Under recent judicial reforms, defendants have two routes for appeal, beginning with a request for a retrial before an appeals court.


The television presenter, Khalifa, 39, was arrested in April 2025 as part of the investigation. She is known for hosting the security and crime programme “Mission Impossible,” which was broadcast on the privately owned Al-Mehwar TV channel.


Khalifa also owned businesses, including a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event-planning company, and had a substantial social media following of more than two million Instagram users.


She rejected the allegations against her and told investigators that she had “never smoked a cigarette in my life,” while maintaining that she was innocent of the charges.


The court handed nine other defendants life sentences and acquitted seven more. The case involved 28 defendants in total and concerned more than 750 kilograms of narcotics.


Egypt is among the 55 countries that continue to retain the death penalty. Under Egyptian law, capital punishment is imposed in cases including drug trafficking, terrorism and premeditated murder. While many countries that retain the death penalty have not carried out executions for years, Egypt’s Prison Authority executed at least 15 people by hanging in 2025, including one woman.


By Nazrin Sadigova