Award-winning Egyptian actress Menna Shalaby referred to criminal court over 'drug possession'

Award-winning Egyptian actress Menna Shalaby has been referred to the criminal court over the alleged possession of illegal drugs, the public prosecution said in a statement on Wednesday.

The prosecution based the charges against her on the testimonies of five personnel at Cairo International Airport, police investigations, the recordings of surveillance cameras, and the criminal laboratory analysis of substances, the statement read.

The statement did not specify a date for the trial.

Shalaby was detained at the airport following an inspection of her luggage, during which 12 packs of colourful candy reportedly containing narcotics were allegedly found. She had flown in from New York.

Shalaby denied any knowledge of the drugs, only confirming ownership of a small pack of makeup found with her.

Egyptian law names 45 substances considered to be prohibited narcotics, including raw opium, morphine, cocaine, and cannabis extracts.

"Legally, if proven guilty, she is likely to receive a one to two years imprisonment sentence and pay about 1000 EGP (about $40) as a fine," lawyer Ahmed Kamal told The New Arab.

In September 2021, Shalaby was the only Arab actor nominated for the Emmy International Award for her role in the limited thriller series 'Fi Kol Osbou Youm Gomaa' ("In every week, there is a Friday") produced by the Saudi MBC platform Shahid VIP.

Shalaby, 40, is one of the most successful actors of her generation. She is best known for playing "Nawara", released in 2015, the protagonist of the award-winning film of the same name.

This portrays a poor housekeeper working for a former official serving during the reign of the ousted long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.