Egyptian journalist Sara Khalifa sentenced to death in the "Major Drugs" case

Egyptian courts have sentenced former television presenter Sara Khalifa and 11 others to death by hanging, convicting them of manufacturing and trafficking narcotics in the case known as the “Grand Drugs Case.” The Cairo Criminal Court issued its ruling after referring the case file to the Grand Mufti of Egypt to seek a religious legal opinion, a procedure mandated by Egyptian law. Khalifa and the other convicted individuals have the right to appeal the sentence.

Khalifa, 39, worked as a television presenter, best known for her show “Difficult Mission” on the private Al-Mahwar channel, which covered security and criminal issues. She also hosted programs on online platforms. Her last video, published on her personal YouTube channel, dates back to approximately two years ago. Khalifa, who has more than two million followers on Instagram, owns a beauty center and a production company that organizes parties and events.

The investigation into the “Grand Drugs Case” began last year and involved Khalifa and 27 others, including her brother and three members of a single family. The detainees were charged with “manufacturing synthetic narcotics with intent to traffic,” by “importing manufacturing materials from abroad.” Authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials used in their production, as well as tools and machinery in two residential apartments used by the defendants as a factory. Firearms and ammunition without permits were also found.

In a separate case involving the detention and assault of a young man, Khalifa and others were sentenced to five years in prison. Egyptian anti-narcotics law prescribes penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty. According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a non-governmental organization, judicial authorities issued 541 death sentences in 2025.